Optical coherence tomography: A journey from clinical research to daily interventional practice

Angiography has been the cornerstone tool to assess coronary anatomy, leading to a rapid development of percutaneous revascularization techniques. Despite the widespread dissemination and high reproducibility, angiography alone can only provide a limited analysis of the lumen profile, without the possibility to disclose vessel wall characteristics and the composition of coronary lesions. Intracoronary imaging techniques have been developed to overcome these limitations. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was the first intracoronary imaging modality introduced two decades before, followed more than a decade after by optical coherence tomography (OCT), a light based technology. This article presents the current status in the technical background of OCT imaging in the areas of research development and clinical practice, focusing on future developments of related patent forms.