Cardiovascular near-infrared imaging

This research uses near-infrared spectrometric imaging to nondestructively locate and determine Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol that may serve as an in vivo marker for vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques. Vulnerable plaques are plaques prone, in the presence of an appropriate trigger, to events such as ulceration, rupture, erosion, or thrombus that can lead to an acute syndrome. A Nd:YAG-pumped KTP/OPO tunable near-infrared (NIR) laser system is used as a light source for the fiber-optic catheters employed in this research. The BEST algorithm is used to construct chemical-composition images of the intima of the aorta in test subjects in vivo. The long-term goal of these studies is to use NIR laser spectrometric assays of plaque performed with cardiac catheters in vivo to facilitate assignment of patients to specific drug or surgical interventions selected to match their individual vulnerable plaque characteristics.