Background: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has several advantages compared to angiography when evaluating coronary atherosclerosis in the vessel wall.
Methods: The accuracy, reproducibility, and short-time spontaneous variation in volume of vessel, plaque and lumen were studied by electrocardiographic-gated three-dimensional (3D) IVUS in 20 male patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD).
Results: The study lesions were angiographically insignificant, with a length of the analysed segment on 11.4+/-5.9 mm. At baseline the mean minimal lumen diameter was 2.41+/-0.59 mm, minimal lumen area 4.82+/-2.38 mm2, and maximal plaque burden 65.61+/-9.57%. Mean reference diameter was 3.1+/-0.6 mm. No significant changes were observed in volumes of total vessel, lumen or plaque. The coefficient of variation (CV) for two volume measurements at baseline was: vessel 0.8%, plaque 1.3%, and lumen 1.4%. For measurements recorded at baseline and after 12.6+/-1.5 weeks, CV was respectively 3.5%, 3.3% and 6.6%. Reproducibility and interobserver and intraobserver variation showed very high correlations. A linear correlation was present in percent changes over 12.6+/-1.5 weeks between vessel volume and lumen volume (r=0.804; p<0.001) and between percent changes in plaque volume and vessel volume (r=0.581; p=0.007). No correlation was found between changes in plaque volume and lumen volume (r=0.015; p=0.950).
Conclusion: ECG-gated 3D IVUS is a highly reproducible method when applied on coronary artery atherosclerosis. CV for lumen volume over 12.6+/-1.5 weeks is twice that of plaque volume indicating the superiority of the 3D IVUS compared to coronary angiography (CAG).