Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) places a miniaturized ultrasound transducer on a catheter tip inside a coronary or peripheral artery to image the vessel wall from within. Unlike angiography, which shows only the arterial lumen, IVUS reveals plaque burden, plaque composition (fibrous, lipid, calcified), and vessel remodeling — information that guides stent sizing and placement in interventional cardiology and vascular surgery.
IVUS is used in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to optimize stent selection and deployment, verify stent apposition, and detect edge dissection or residual stenosis. In peripheral interventions, IVUS guides iliac and infrainguinal stenting and assesses aortoiliac occlusive disease. Intravascular imaging technologists work in cardiac catheterization laboratories alongside interventional cardiologists and vascular surgeons.
IVUS is performed by registered cardiovascular invasive specialists (RCIS, CCI credential) and cardiac sonographers with catheterization lab experience. While IVUS is a catheterization lab tool rather than a traditional external ultrasound application, sonographers with RDCS credentials and cardiac anatomy expertise contribute to interpretation and catheterization lab team functions in institutions where roles overlap.