VIDEO: Session explores benefits of OCT in cardiac cath lab

ORLANDO, Fla. — In this video, Farouc Jaffer, MD, PhD, medical director of the CAD program at Massachusetts General Hospital, addresses the clinical utility of optical coherence tomography in the cardiac cath lab, which was discussed during a session on imaging modalities at the American Heart Association Scientific Session.

Jaffer said the primary advantage of OCT is its "exquisitely high resolution," which is approximately 10 times that of intravascular ultrasound.

One of the most important applications for OCT, he said, is improving understanding of the mechanisms of stent thrombosis. The increased detail of imaging obtained via OCT enables clinicians to determine whether a stent is underexpanded, fractured or disrupted, which can be more difficult to discern using routine angiography. He also noted that OCT can aid in determining the presence of culprit plaque for ACS.

The session further addressed whether OCT can become a routine component within a cath lab. "We love the concept of using imaging to optimize stents. ... In general, we feel that when we do that we're going to offer patients a better outcome." He noted that this has yet to be definitively proven, but that a pivotal trial is in development that will assess this possibility.

Jaffer also said that data from registry studies have indicated that the more abnormalities observed through OCT, the more likely patients are to experienced adverse events. "Perhaps if we start to use OCT to guide how we deploy the stents ... we're going to ultimately decrease recurrence rates and rehospitalization. That's certainly something of major interest."