Mini-Focus Issue: Optical Coherence Tomography
Clinical Research
Consensus Standards for Acquisition, Measurement, and Reporting of Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography Studies: A Report From the International Working Group for Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography Standardization and Validation

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2011.09.079Get rights and content
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Objectives

The purpose of this document is to make the output of the International Working Group for Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography (IWG-IVOCT) Standardization and Validation available to medical and scientific communities, through a peer-reviewed publication, in the interest of improving the diagnosis and treatment of patients with atherosclerosis, including coronary artery disease.

Background

Intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT) is a catheter-based modality that acquires images at a resolution of ∼10 μm, enabling visualization of blood vessel wall microstructure in vivo at an unprecedented level of detail. IVOCT devices are now commercially available worldwide, there is an active user base, and the interest in using this technology is growing. Incorporation of IVOCT in research and daily clinical practice can be facilitated by the development of uniform terminology and consensus-based standards on use of the technology, interpretation of the images, and reporting of IVOCT results.

Methods

The IWG-IVOCT, comprising more than 260 academic and industry members from Asia, Europe, and the United States, formed in 2008 and convened on the topic of IVOCT standardization through a series of 9 national and international meetings.

Results

Knowledge and recommendations from this group on key areas within the IVOCT field were assembled to generate this consensus document, authored by the Writing Committee, composed of academicians who have participated in meetings and/or writing of the text.

Conclusions

This document may be broadly used as a standard reference regarding the current state of the IVOCT imaging modality, intended for researchers and clinicians who use IVOCT and analyze IVOCT data.

Key Words

atherosclerosis
consensus document
coronary artery
intravascular ultrasound
optical coherence tomography

Abbreviations and Acronyms

CSA
cross-sectional area
DICOM
Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine
EEM
external elastic membrane
FD-OCT
frequency-domain optical coherence tomography
IEM
internal elastic membrane
IVOCT
intravascular optical coherence tomography
IVUS
intravascular ultrasound
IWG-IVOCT
International Working Group on Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography Standardization and Validation
NIR
near-infrared
OCT
optical coherence tomography
TCFA
thin-capped fibroatheroma
TD-OCT
time-domain optical coherence tomography

Cited by (0)

Drs. Tearney, Regar, and Akasaka are co-chairs of the International Working Group for Intravascular OCT Standardization and Validation (IWG-IVOCT) and co-chairs of the Writing Committee for this document. The IWG-IVOCT effort has been partially sponsored by gifts and educational grants from Merck, Boston Scientific, and the Center for Integration of Medicine & Innovative Technology. Dr. Akasaka is on the clinical advisory board of St. Jude Medical and Terumo Inc.; and has received research funding from Abbott Vascular Japan, St. Jude Medical Japan, Goodman Inc., and Boston Scientific Inc. All members of the Writing Committee, as well as their affiliations and relationships with industry, are listed in the Online Supplementary Material.