Hybrid NIRF-IVUS Imaging Catheter
Our novel imaging catheter features a NIRF and IVUS sensor for hybrid biological (NIRF) and anatomical (IVUS) intravascular imaging.
Our catheter monorail is compatible with standard coronary guidewires for efficient delivery into target zones and smooth integration into clinical PCI procedures.
NIRF: Near-Infrared Fluorescence
IVUS: Intravascular Ultrasound
Think IVUS - but with a 'RED FLAG' signal for PCI complications.
Scientific Evidence
In vivo detection of vascular injury using NIRF-IVUS imaging in swine.
Comparison of the standalone IVUS, and the integrated cNIRF-IVUS cross sectional images before and after blood attenuation correction with FM micrographs of anatomically matched tissue sections. Note that injury is not apparent by structural imaging with standalone IVUS. In comparison, injury demarcated by ICG deposition is clearly recognized on the cNIRF-IVUS merged images in Region 1 and Region 2, as confirmed by FM (orange dotted boxes; red pseudocolor¼ ICG, green pseudocolor¼ FITC autofluorescence). Scale bars in NIRF and cNIRF images, 1 mm. Scale bar in FM images, 0.5 mm.
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Bozhko D, Osborn EA, Rosenthal A, et al. Quantitative intravascular biological fluorescence-ultrasound imaging of coronary and peripheral arteries in vivo. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2017;18(11):1253-1261. doi:10.1093/ehjci/jew222
Intravascular NIRF imaging highlights stent inflammation in vivo
Multimodal in vivo and ex vivo imaging of inflammatory protease activity in BMS-, EES-treated, and unstented plaque zones in the abdominal aorta of a representative rabbit. (A) X-ray angiogram of the abdominal aorta. Straight lines show the position of the BMS and the EES. Areas of IVUS– visible plaque (P1 and P2 zones) are highlighted. The blue arrow designates direction of blood flow. (B) In vivo NIRF catheter pullback showing NIRF signal intensity in arbitrary fluorescence units. The y-axis represents the angular dimension (0–360). The x-axis represents the longitudinal/axial dimension in millimetres. The asterisk denotes a guidewire artefact. (C) 1D angle-averaged mean NIRF signal along the longitudinal axis. (D) Fusion of the aligned longitudinal IVUS and intravascular NIRF images. (E) Ex vivo FRI at 800 nm of the resected aorta. AU, arbitrary units; Scale bar, 10 mm.
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Calfon Press MA, Mallas G, Rosenthal A, et al. Everolimus-eluting stents stabilize plaque inflammation in vivo: assessment by intravascular fluorescence molecular imaging. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2017;18(5):510-518. doi:10.1093/ehjci/jew228
ICG concentration quantified by NIRF-IVUS correlates to atherosclerotic disease stages in human coronary arteries ex vivo.
Exemplary NIRF-IVUS frames with co-registered histological tissue sections embedded in paraffin and stained with MP and vK indicating 30° tissue segments classified as (a, b) early-stage intimal lesions, (c, d) PIT with extracellular lipid, (e, f) fibroatheroma, (g, h) fibrous or fibrocalcific plaque, (i, j) luminal calcification; (k) Detected ICG-concentration averaged per 30° sector in various pathological classifications of the tissue. *Significant differences p < 0.05; black dots represent the estimated means; whiskers indicate 95% confidence intervals; In all panels: ICG indocyanine green, IVUS intravascular ultrasound, MP Movat Pentachrome, NIRF near-infrared fluorescence, PIT pathological intimal thickening, vK von Kossa. Scale bars: 1 mm.
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Rauschendorfer, P., Lenz, T., Nicol, P. et al. Intravascular ICG-enhanced NIRF-IVUS imaging to assess progressive atherosclerotic lesions in excised human coronary arteries. npj Cardiovasc Health 1, 14 (2024). doi: 10.1038/s44325-024-00016-8