Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has opened new horizons for intravascular coronary imaging. It utilizes near-infrared light to provide a microscopic insight into the pathology of coronary arteries in vivo. Optical coherence tomography is also capable of identifying the chemical composition of atherosclerotic plaques and detecting traits of their vulnerability. At present it is the only tool to measure the thickness of the fibrous cap covering the lipid core of the atheroma, and thus it is an exceptional modality to detect plaques that are prone to rupture (thin fibrous cap atheromas). Moreover, it facilitates distinguishing between plaque rupture and plaque erosion as a cause of acute intracoronary thrombosis. Optical coherence tomography is applied to guide angioplasties of coronary lesions and to assess outcomes of percutaneous coronary interventions broadly. It identifies stent malapposition, dissections, and thrombosis with unprecedented precision. Furthermore, OCT helps to monitor vessel healing after stenting. It evaluates the coverage of stent struts by the neointima and detects in-stent neoatherosclerosis. With so much potential, new studies are warranted to determine OCT's clinical impact. The following review presents the technical background, basics of OCT image interpretation, and practical tips for adequate OCT imaging, and outlines its established and potential clinical application.

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has been clinically available for almost 25 years now and showed us valuable information regarding the coronary vessel lumen, its dimensions, the plaque burden and plaque characteristics that we were not able to assess by angiography alone. Using these abilities, IVUS has helped us to start, understand the atherosclerotic process in the coronary vessels. Further technical innovations partially overcame the somewhat limited image resolution of IVUS allowing more in-depth characterization and quantification of coronary plaque components. In addition, IVUS has been shown to be helpful to guide interventional procedures including optimal stent deployment in many clinical situations. In this review, we focus on the potential role of IVUS technology in interventional cardiology and on the valuable role of IVUS usage in percutaneous coronary interventions.

The OCT revealed a favorable healing pattern after BVS implantation in a STEMI population.

Objectives To assess feasibility, safety, angiographic, and clinical outcome of highly‐calcific carotid stenosis (HCCS) endovascular management using CGuard™ dual‐layer carotid stents. Background HCCS has been a challenge to carotid artery stenting (CAS) using conventional stents. CGuard combines a high‐radial‐force open‐cell frame conformability with MicroNet sealing properties. Methods The PARADIGM study is prospectively assessing routine CGuard use in all‐comer carotid revascularization patients; the focus of the present analysis is HCCS versus non‐HCCS lesions. Angiographic HCCS (core laboratory evaluation) required calcific segment length to lesion length ≥2/3, minimal calcification thickness ≥3 mm, circularity (≥3 quadrants), and calcification severity grade ≥3 (carotid calcification severity scoring system [CCSS]; G0‐G4). Results One hundred and one consecutive patients (51–86 years, 54.4% symptomatic; 106 lesions) received CAS (16 HCCS and 90 non‐HCCS); eight others (two HCCS) were treated surgically. CCSS evaluation was reproducible, with weighted kappa (95% CI) of 0.73 (0.58–0.88) and 0.83 (0.71–0.94) for inter‐ and intra‐observer reproducibility respectively. HCCS postdilatation pressures were higher than those in non‐HCCS; 22 (20–24) versus 20 (18–24) atm, p = .028; median (Q1–Q3). Angiography‐optimized HCCS‐CAS was feasible and free of contrast extravasation or clinical complications. Overall residual diameter stenosis was single‐digit but it was higher in HCCS; 9 (4–17) versus 3 (1–7) %, p = .002. At 30 days and 12 months HCCS in‐stent velocities were normal and there were no adverse clinical events. Conclusion CGuard HCCS endovascular management was feasible and safe. A novel algorithm to grade carotid artery calcification severity was reproducible and applicable in clinical study setting. Larger HCCS series and longer‐term follow‐up are warranted.

Background The Augmented Reality (AR) blends digital information with the real world. Thanks to cameras, sensors, and displays it can supplement the physical world with holographic images. Nowadays, the applications of AR range from navigated surgery to vehicle navigation. Development The purpose of this feasibility study was to develop an AR holographic system implementing Vertucci’s classification of dental root morphology to facilitate the study of tooth anatomy. It was tailored to run on the AR HoloLens 2 (Microsoft) glasses. The 3D tooth models were created in Autodesk Maya and exported to Unity software. The holograms of dental roots can be projected in a natural setting of the dental office. The application allowed to display 3D objects in such a way that they could be rotated, zoomed in/out, and penetrated. The advantage of the proposed approach was that students could learn a 3D internal anatomy of the teeth without environmental visual restrictions. Conclusions It is feasible to visualize internal dental root anatomy with AR holographic system. AR holograms seem to be attractive adjunct for learning of root anatomy.

The dynamic COVID-19 pandemic has destabilized education and forced academic centers to explore non-traditional teaching modalities. A key challenge this creates is in reconciling the fact that hands-on time in lab settings has been shown to increase student understanding and peak their interests. Traditional visualization methods are already limited and topics such as 3D molecular structures remain difficult to understand. This is where advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), including remote meetings, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Extended Reality (XR, so-called Metaverse) offer vast potential to revolutionize the education landscape. Specifically, how MR merges real and virtual life in a uniquely promising way and offers opportunities for entirely new educational applications. In this paper, we briefly overview and report our initial experience using MR to teach medical and pharmacy students. We also explore the future usefulness of MR in pharmacy education. MR mimics real-world experiences both in distance education and traditional laboratory classes. We also propose ICT-based systems designed to run on the Microsoft HoloLens2 MR goggles and can be successfully applied in medical and pharmacy coursework. The models were developed and implemented in Autodesk Maya and exported to Unity. Our findings demonstrate that MR-based solutions can be an excellent alternative to traditional classes, notably in medicine, anatomy, organic chemistry, and biochemistry (especially 3D molecular structures), in both remote and traditional in-person teaching modalities. MR therefore has the potential to become an integral part of medical education in both remote learning and in-person study.

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