Intravascular imaging of atherosclerotic plaques in patients with cardiorenal syndrome: potential use of optical coherence tomography

Abstract

Currently, kidney transplantation and hemodialysis are the primary therapies for end-stage renal disease. High mortality, mostly caused by cardiovascular disease, remains the main challenge in the treatment of this category of patients. It has been shown that in patients with end-stage chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis, the risk of mortality due to cardiovascular disease is up to 20 times higher than in the sex- and age-matched general population. The indicated data determined the appropriateness of isolating cardiorenal relationships into a single cardiorenal syndrome (CRS). Due to the facts mentioned above, intravascular imaging methods, notably optical coherence tomography (OCT), are particularly important in diagnosing coronary artery lesions. This review analyses the data published to date on the features and capabilities of OCT in CRS patients.