Intravascular ultrasound detected classification of coronary lesions as a predictor of dissections after balloon angioplasty.

Dissection after balloon angioplasty of coronary arteries may give rise to an unfavourable early outcome. Compared with coronary angiography, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) allows more detailed characterisation of dissections. We investigated the incidence and type of dissections after balloon angioplasty in calcified coronary lesions. IVUS was performed in 43 patients with 48 lesions before and after percutaneous balloon angioplasty. Significant calcification was defined as an arc of more than 90 degrees with typical acoustic shadowing. Dissections were classified as type A when the media was not involved by the dissection and as type B when media involvement had occurred. In the group wi…