[Contribution of intracoronary imaging in acute coronary syndrome]

Abstract

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the world, although it has considerably decreased through technical and pharmacological advances. The physiopathological approach of the ACS has progressed considerably in recent years thanks to the anatomopathological work and the data of the endocoronary imaging, in particular of the endovascular ultrasound (IVUS). Plaque rupture is the most common cause of ACS, however OCT (optical coherence tomography) studies have shown that surface plaque erosion was more common than thought. The use of OCT in the ACS may prove to be a valuable diagnostic aid: study of the culpable lesion, spontaneous coronary dissection or intramural spontaneous hematoma, stent thrombosis; from a therapeutic point of view: reduction of the risk of stent malapposition, additional technique, delayed stenting, implantation of a bioresorbable stent, medical treatment of ACS without stenting. Endocoronary imaging, especially OCT, will of course never be systematic as treatment of ACS, but providing excellent value for both diagnosis and treatment, it must be an integral part of the therapeutic arsenal available in cathlab.

Keywords: Acute coronary syndrome; Imagerie endocoronaire; Intracoronary imaging; Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS); Optical coherence tomography (OCT); Plaque erosion; Plaque rupture; Rupture de plaque; Syndrome coronarien aigu; Tomographie par cohérence optique (OCT); Échographie endovasculaire (IVUS); Érosion de plaque.