[Percutaneous coronary angioscopy].

In the last few years, major advances in catheter technology and miniaturization of fiber optics have allowed percutaneous coronary angioscopy to become a reality. Current angioscopy systems provide an outstanding image quality yielding precise evaluation of coronary atherosclerosis morphology in its various clinical manifestations. However, coronary angioscopy is a new diagnostic tool whose indications and specific role are yet to be delineated. Investigation on the potential roles of this technology are mainly centered in the field of acute coronary syndromes and interventional coronary therapies. In the near future, coronary angioscopy may play an important role in the investigation of the natural history of coronary artery disease, in the field of thrombolysis, and in the selection of specific therapy. In this article, coronary angioscopy system and technique are described and its potential clinical applications discussed.