Abstract:

Although coronary stent implantation is a successful procedure for treating coronary heart disease, in-stent restenosis (ISR) can sometimes limit or even eliminate the anticipated clinical benefits. At present, the influence factors of ISR involve a wide range, and the mechanism of ISR was not clear, which was mainly related to the hyperplasia of endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. The gold standard for diagnosing restenosis in coronary stents is coronary angiography (CAG). However, two-dimensional lumen imaging is incapable of depicting the condition of the vessel wall and assessing the vessel′s size, the characteristics of the plaque, and the impact of the stent′s implantation. Endovascular imaging technology can help the clinical provider optimize and directing the interventional treatment of ISR by assisting in the identification of plaque properties, early detection of vulnerable plaques like thin fibrous cap atherosclerotic plaque, and provision of more accurate vascular lesion information. Therefore, the only way to choose a successful treatment is to use the appropriate technology to precisely determine ISR. The most recent developments in imaging diagnostics and ISR treatment are reviewed in this article.

Key words: In-stent restenosis, Coronary angiography, Endoluminal imaging, Diagnosis, Treatment