This cardiac catheter uses light and ultrasound to measure plaques

[Image from Marcu Lab/UC Davis]

Researchers at the University of California at Davis combined ultrasound with light into a catheter probe to view the tiny arteries of the heart.

The device uses intravascular ultrasound and fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIm) to retrieve structural and biochemical information about plaque in the arteries to help predict heart attacks more reliably, according to the researchers.

Currently, doctors use angioplasty to view blood vessels in constricted regions. A contrasting agent has to be injected to be able to view the vessels in an X-ray, but sometimes an angioplasty could miss dangerous plaque buildup because plaque doesn’t always cause constricted vessels. Intravascular ultrasound is able to see through the plaque buildup to determine the depth of vessels to help prevent heart attacks.

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