ORIENTATION OF INTRACORONARY ULTRASONOGRAPHY - LOOKING BEYOND THE ARTERY

Over the past 5 years intravascular ultrasound imaging has achieved ma ny technical advancements both in catheter design and image quality. I n addition to improved image quality that provides clear display of th e endovascular structure, efficient signal penetration permits the vie wing of structures beyond the artery by highlighting the perivascular structures. These perivascular landmarks, which are unique within a pa rticular coronary segment, help provide both axial and spatial orienta tion during multiple imaging runs throughout a coronary artery. Orient ation on the basis of veins and pericardium assists the operator to ap preciate the full three-dimensional view of a particular coronary segm ent. This article describes several of the common perivasular structur es that may be viewed from different arteries routinely imaged during coronary procedures.