OCT for bifurcation stenting: what have we learned?

Treatment of bifurcation lesions by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) shows major variation in complexity. Intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides high-resolution images of the pathoanatomy, thrombus, wires and stent positions during the procedure. This information may prove crucial in optimising PCI results and clinical outcomes after complex bifurcation treatment. Mounting evidence confirms the feasibility of OCT in bifurcations, and specific steps where OCT may be advantageous in guiding bifurcation PCI have been identified. Awaiting major clinical outcome trials, OCT has already entered the European guidelines for myocardial revascularisation. This paper aims to provide an overview of the potential clinical use of OCT in bifurcations.