Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: The microscopic tissue structure and organization influence the polarization of light. Intravascular polarimetry leverages this compelling intrinsic contrast mechanism by using polarization-sensitive optical frequency domain imaging to measure the polarization properties of the coronary arterial wall. Tissues rich in collagen and smooth muscle cells appear birefringent, while the presence of lipid causes depolarization, offering quantitative metrics related to the presence of important components of coronary atherosclerosis. Here, we review the basic principle, the interpretation of polarization signatures, and first clinical investigations of intravascular polarimetry and discuss how this extension of contemporary intravascular imaging may advance our knowledge and improve clinical practice in the future.
Source: Circulation Reports
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funders: Uehara Memorial Foundation, Terumo, Japan Heart Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Bayer Yakuhin, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Erasmus Universitair Medisch Centrum Rotterdam, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
OpenAlex ID: W2988220281