Sound Waves Can Help Doctors See Inside Your Coronary Arteries

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) reveals details about the amount and quality of plaque. This information helps physicians provide better care.

Published: July 2, 2019 Updated: January 6, 2020

"Angiography is a two-dimensional imaging technique, which has limitations. It tells us whether a coronary artery is narrowed or blocked, but it cannot reveal the true extent of the blockage, the size of the lumen or vessel dimensions, nor whether the plaque is soft, hard or mixed. It also does not show the degree of calcium around the circumference of the artery. IVUS can do all this," says Cleveland Clinic interventional cardiologist Rishi Puri, MD, PhD.