Assessing intermediate coronary lesions: angiographic prediction of lesion severity on intravascular ultrasound.

Background: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) can detect atherosclerotic compromise in coronary segments where conventional angiography cannot. However, IVUS is more invasive, expensive and laborious than angiography. We compared the detection of stenosis by IVUS and angiography and identified angiographic predictors of severe luminal stenosis on IVUS in patients with angiographically-intermediate coronary lesions.