NIH awards grant for new stent imaging technique

The NIH has awarded a $1.7 million grant to researchers at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center who are developing new imaging technology to improvement the assessment of stents placed in coronary arteries.

The technology, based on intravascular optical coherence tomography, can be employed during or after PCI to help doctors determine if a stent is restoring circulation, if more stents are needed, and if a stent has failed or otherwise become problematic, according to a press release from Case Western Reserve University.

“We’re revolutionizing coronary artery imaging,” David Wilson, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering and radiology at Case Western Reserve University and one of the primary investigators, stated in the press release. “Patients will benefit because doctors will be able to make more informed decisions.”

The optical coherence tomography (OCT), which has 10 times the resolution of IVUS, will take as many as 500 images of each stent, and software will quantitatively analyze every detail captured within minutes, according to the press release.

The software is also being tailored to recognize plaques in the arteries and identify which ones are likely to rupture, according to the release. The technology could also be used in the research and development of new stent designs, researchers said.

The grant was awarded by the NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.