Paclitaxel crystal visualization by intravascular imaging following drug-coated balloon angioplasty: A report of 2 cases.

Drug-coated balloons (DCB) have evolved as an alternative to drug-eluting stents in coronary interventions without the addition of an extra metal layer while delivering antiproliferative drugs. However, the delivery of the drug at the target site cannot be objectively assessed in routine practice. Hence, the success of a DCB angioplasty is limited to luminal gain alone. We report a novel finding of tiny paclitaxel crystals detected on the intimal surface by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in two cases treated with DCB angioplasty.