Objective To compare the detection of stenosis by angiography and identified angiographic predictors of severe luminal stenosis on intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in patients with intermediate coronary stenosis.

Methods 450 patients with coronary intermediate stenosis by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and underwent IVUS assessment of the lesions artery. The results from IVUS and QCA were compared using unpaired t-test. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify parameters that could predict the presence of severe stenosis on IVUS.

Results A total of 780 stenotic coronary lesions were classified as intermediate by QCA. There was a right correlation between IVUS and QCA with respect to percentage of stenosis, minimum luminal diameter was (2.04±0.18) mm vs (2.0±0.17) mm, respectively, the correlation index R=0.627. Reference segment diameter was (3.28±0.19) mm vs (3.17±0.21) mm, respectively, the correlation index R=0.782. In contrast, there was a difference in the assessment luminal diameter stenosis with minimum luminal area. The stenosis detected by IVUS could find the severity of stenosis, could reduce much MACE relatively.

Conclusions In patients with angiographically intermediate lesions, the frequency of severe stenosis detected by IVUS were high, indicating that angiography underestimated the severity of stenosis. Smoking and Hypertension could be used to stratify these lesions into groups with higher risk of MACE.