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Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Interpreting the relative danger of a lesion within the vasculature is limited by a lack of information on the composition of lesion. It is believed that a lesion which is high in lipids is more prone to rupture followed by thrombosis than a stable highly calcific, fibrotic, high grade stenosis. To address this recent hypothesis, a method of diagnosing and treating the most problematic vascular lesions is presented. The method employs the selective uptake of a lipophilic fluorescent compound by a lesion followed by the application of excitation light to the fluorescent compound-ladened lesion causing the fluorescent compound to emit fluorescence light. The intensity of the fluorescence light indicates the lipid content and/or the fibrous cap thickness, thus providing information on the potential danger of the lesion and enabling the clinician to treat the lesion in a manner which provides the patient with the best chance for clinical success.

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