Intravascular ultrasound-guided drug-eluting stent implantation.

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a reliable imaging tool to guide percutaneous coronary intervention. There has been increasing evidence supporting the clinical utility of IVUS-guided drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation, including randomized trials, observational studies, and meta-analyses of both. IVUS provides cross-sectional views of the coronary artery wall, and allows us to assess stenosis severity, identify plaque morphology, optimize stent implantation, and understand mechanism of stent failure. IVUS guidance can increase DES efficacy and decrease clinical events. In this review article, we summarize available evidence on IVUS-guided DES implantation.