Coexistence of vessel enlargement and paradoxical constriction in a diseased left anterior descending artery: an in vivo assessment using a new system for quantitative analysis of intracoronary ultrasound.

Previous studies based on conventional two-dimensional intravascular ultrasound revealed that coronary arteries can undergo either vessel enlargement and paradoxical constriction in response to plaque growth. We report a case in which the occurrence of vessel enlargement and paradoxical constriction was documented in the same coronary artery (left anterior descending). A multiple cross-section analysis was performed, using a novel 3-D system of reconstruction of IVUS images, which provides a large number of cross-sections within the reconstructed segments.