Serial optical coherence tomography imaging of the “black-hole” phenomenon by intravascular ultrasound following sirolimus-eluting stent implantation

A 60-year-old man underwent sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantation (Figure 1A and Figure 1B). At two months (Figure 1C), intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images showed homogenous echolucent appearance within the stent, recognised as a “black-hole” phenomenon (Figure 1E)1. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of the corresponding segment demonstrated a layered structure composed of thin inner layers with high-intensity signals and outer layers with low-intensity signals (Figure 1G). At eight months (Figure 1D), on the IVUS images, previous echolucent intraluminal tissue changed into isoechoic tissue (Figure 1F). OCT images demonstrated that inner layers increased in thickness and signal intensity, and that the intensity ...