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Intravascular
Ultrasound For many years the only way of directly viewing the coronary arteries was through angiography, or catheterization. With the invention and refinement of intravascular coronary ultrasound (IVUS) it is now possible to thread a tiny ultrasound "camera" into the coronary arteries to give a valuable cross-sectional view from the inside-out, showing the physician where the normal artery wall ends and the plaque begins. |
courtesy Volcano Corporation |
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The Future These and other new devices are being developed continually and the information gathered through the use of catheter-based interventions may ultimately reveal the true mechanism of plaque formation. As this knowledge is applied in the field of molecular biology, promising new research and drug therapies may provide a way to prevent restenosis and plaque formation from occurring and yield an answer for conquering coronary artery disease. |
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