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  • Review Article
  • Published:

Causes, assessment, and treatment of stent thrombosis—intravascular imaging insights

Nature Reviews Cardiology volume 12, pages 325–336 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Key Points

  • Stent thrombosis is a rare, but serious, complication of percutaneous coronary intervention and is associated with severe morbidity and mortality

  • Intravascular imaging has furthered our understanding of the mechanisms underlying stent thrombosis

  • Stent underexpansion and malapposition can be assessed and optimized at the time of stent implantation with the use of intravascular imaging

  • During follow-up imaging, strut coverage and neoatherosclerosis are best evaluated in vivo using optical coherence tomography

  • Optical coherence tomography might be particularly useful during evaluation of stent thrombosis events to determine specific underlying mechanisms and to guide therapy

  • Intravascular imaging has been crucial to the development and assessment of new bioresorbable stent technologies, although the risk of stent thrombosis associated with these devices requires further investigation

Abstract

Stent thrombosis is a rare, but serious, complication of percutaneous coronary intervention and is associated with severe morbidity and mortality. In addition to clinical and pathological studies, intravascular imaging has advanced our understanding of the mechanisms underlying stent thrombosis. In particular, intravascular imaging has been used to study stent underexpansion, malapposition, uncovered struts, and neoatherosclerosis as risk factors for stent thrombosis. Intravascular ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography can be used to guide stent implantation and minimize the risk of stent thrombosis. Additionally, optical coherence tomography offers the unique potential to tailor treatment of stent thrombosis to address the specific mechanism underlying the thrombotic event. Bioresorbable stent technologies have been introduced with the goal of further reducing the incidence of stent thrombosis, and intravascular imaging has had an integral role in the development and assessment of these new devices. In this Review, we present insights gained through intravascular imaging into the causes of stent thrombosis, and the potential utility of intravascular imaging in the optimization of stent deployment and treatment of stent thrombosis events.

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Figure 1: Malapposition evaluated with intravascular ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography.132
Figure 2: Strut apposition and coverage.
Figure 3: Neoatherosclerosis, assessed with VH-IVUS.74
Figure 4: Neointimal features identified with optical coherence tomography.
Figure 5: Bioresorbable vascular scaffold apposition and strut coverage.115

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Acknowledgements

I.-K.J. is also affiliated with the Division of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea.

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  1. Cardiology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School GRB 800, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, 02114, MA, USA

    Daniel S. Ong & Ik-Kyung Jang

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Both authors researched data for the article, discussed its content, wrote the article, and reviewed and edited the manuscript before submission.

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Correspondence to Ik-Kyung Jang.

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I.-K.J. declares that he has received a research grant and honorarium from St. Jude Medical and research grants from Boston Scientific and Medtronic. D.S.O. declares no competing interests.

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Ong, D., Jang, IK. Causes, assessment, and treatment of stent thrombosis—intravascular imaging insights. Nat Rev Cardiol 12, 325–336 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2015.32

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