Currently available methodologies for the processing of intravascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography images

Abstract

Optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound are the most widely used methodologies in clinical practice as they provide high resolution cross-sectional images that allow comprehensive visualization of the lumen and plaque morphology. Several methods have been developed in recent years to process the output of these imaging modalities, which allow fast, reliable and reproducible detection of the luminal borders and characterization of plaque composition. These methods have proven useful in the study of the atherosclerotic process as they have facilitated analysis of a vast amount of data. This review presents currently available intravascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography processing methodologies for segmenting and characterizing the plaque area, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages, and discusses the future trends in intravascular imaging.

Keywords::

• atherosclerotic plaque
• border detection
• hybrid imaging
• intravascular ultrasound
• optical coherence tomography

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Key issues

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) are widely used in clinical practice.

• IVUS and OCT provide high-resolution cross-sectional images that allow comprehensive visualization of the lumen and plaque morphology.

• Several methods have been developed that process these data, allowing fast, reliable and reproducible detection of the luminal borders and characterization of the composition of the plaque.

• The currently available IVUS and OCT processing methods for segmenting and characterizing the plaque area are presented.

• Their advantages and disadvantages are highlighted and the future trends in intravascular imaging are discussed.

Notes