Survival intravascular photoacoustic imaging of lipid-rich plaque in cholesterol fed rabbits.

Intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging is a promising modality for quantitative assessment of lipid-laden atherosclerotic plaques. Yet, survival IVPA imaging of the same plaque in the same animal is not demonstrated. Here, using a sheathed IVUS/PA catheter of 0.9 mm in diameter, we demonstrate MRI-guided survival IVPA imaging of same plaque in an aorta of a well-established rabbit model mimicking atherosclerosis in human patients. The IVUS/PA results were confirmed by histology. These advances open the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of a therapy that aims to reduce the size of atherosclerotic plaques and demonstrates the potential of translating the IVPA catheter into clinic for detection of lipid-rich plaques that are at high risk for thrombosis.