UCSF Intravascular Ultrasound Laboratory

UCSF IVUS Lab - What is IVUS?

A

B

C

D

The angiogram serves as a "road map" of your coronary arteries. The ultrasound serves as an additional detail about the vessel wall and plaque buildup. The ultrasound at point A is completely normal. At points B & C there exists a small amount of plaque build-up that is not appreciated by the angiogram.

A View Inside
Ultrasound technology uses sound waves to produce detailed pictures of various structures in the body. For many years, ultrasound has been safely used to examine pregnant women, babies and hearts. This same technology is now available to give us an inside view of coronary arteries.

How Does Ultrasound Work?
The image you see in a looking glass is the result of light waves reflected back to you by the mirror. Ultrasound works in much the same way. Sound waves produced by a miniature transducer housed in a catheter are reflected back by blood and tissue from inside the artery wall. The sound waves the transducer "sees" are affected by the density of the structures they reflect much like the image in your mirror is affected by the lighting available. Structures like blood, tissue and even disease such as calcium and plaque reflect differently because of their density. A computer translates this sound information into black and white images that can be displayed on a television monitor and recorded on videotape. Your cardiologist has specialized training in interpreting these (grayscale) images and can utilize this information to optimize strategies for your individual profile. Thanks to this new and exciting microtechnology, you and your cardiologist make more informed decisions about available treatment options if necessary.

Why Use Intravascular Ultrasound
Ultrasound imaging teaches us things about coronary arteries that no other technology can. Angiograms are pictures made by filling arteries with fluid that can be seen by x-ray which provide information about the inside fluid path of arteries. While angiography continues to be the "Gold Standard" for coronary imaging, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the anatomy within the wall of the artery itself. This information will enable us to understand more about narrowing and plaque deposits as well as to confirm diagnosis of areas that angiography may not completely describe. This inside view can only by achieved by Intravascular Ultrasound.
When used in combination with angiography, Intravascular Ultrasound allows the most comprehensive understanding of coronary anatomy and plaque deposits available in medicine today.

About the Procedure
Ultrasound pictures will be taken during your scheduled cardiac catheterization. The catheter is inserted in the same manner as the angiography catheter (no additional puncture sites) and is advanced into the coronary arteries exactly the same way as an angioplasty balloon.

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