Comparison between optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound in detecting neointimal healing patterns after stent implantation.

Background: The amount of data comparing intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for the detection of stent coverage in clinical settings is limited.

Aim: To make a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the vascular healing patterns in patients after stent implantations visualised by both IVUS and OCT.

Methods: Images were obtained in patients with clinical symptoms of angina, who had had a bare metal stent implanted in the previous 12 months.