Background: Volumetric intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) analysis has contributed significantly to the assessment of coronary artery disease. The aim of this study is to validate the novel IVUS analysis software (NICORAS) compared to the previously validated software (EchoPlaque).
Methods: Selected from clinical cases, we used 30 IVUS images that utilized motorized pullback at 0.5 mm/sec. Judging from at least two vascular landmarks, identical coronary artery segments were selected and analyzed with two software systems (NICORAS and EchoPlaque). Lumen and external elastic membrane (EEM) borderlines were traced at every 0.5 mm interval. Plaque area was calculated as EEM minus lumen area. Then, volumetric IVUS data were calculated using interpolated frame data from which lumen, EEM, and plaque volume were computed.
Results: The average analyzed coronary segment was 15.4 +/- 4.3 mm. There was excellent agreement between NICORAS and EchoPlaque for lumen volume (r = 0.999, p < 0.0001), EEM volume (r= 0.999, p < 0.0001), and plaque volume (r = 0.998, p < 0.0001).
Conclusion: The new volumetric IVUS analysis software provided IVUS data similar to previously examined software.