Visualization and quantification of biochemical markers of atherosclerotic plaque progression using intravascular fluorescence lifetime (Conference Presentation)

Abstract

Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIm) is a label-free technique that provides biochemical information from biological samples derived from tissue autofluorescence. Using a custom multispectral FLIm/IVUS catheter system, fluorescence lifetime data (n=33,980 locations) was collected from ex vivo human artery segments (n=32 samples). Our findings indicate that intravascular spectroscopy with FLIm supports the identification of early progression-prone lesions, characterized by the accumulation of extracellular lipids, as well as the quantification of inflammatory activity, characterized by macrophage foam cells accumulation. This information improves our understanding of plaque development, which may ultimately be used to improve risk assessment of acute coronary events.