Diagnosis of cardiovascular lesions by percutaneous angioscopy and intravascular ultrasound

We performed simultaneous angioscopy and intravascular ultrasound imaging (IVUS) to evaluate the luminal changes of cardiac chambers, valves and vessels in patients with various categories of cardiovascular disease. We observed cardiac chambers in 7, coronary arteries in 3, aortic valve in 6, aorta in 10, vena cava in 2, pulmonary arteries in 3 and femoral arteries in 5 pts. The angioscopy was suitable for detection of the changes in color and for 3D evaluation of small changes. The IVUS was suitable for detection of calcified tissues and for evaluation of cardiac and vessel wall structures. Furthermore, we could observe dynamic motion of the cardiac valves by the IVUS. The results indicate that simultaneous observation by IVUS and angioscopy gives us much more information on the cardiovascular changes.