PhD Defence L.J.C. (Laurens) van Zandvoort

Physiological assessment and intravascular imaging to assist during a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have emerged as excellent tools to evaluate the status of a coronary artery. Nevertheless both technologies still have a relatively low uptake in daily clinical practice, specifically in a post PCI setting. This thesis aimed to provide the rationale for post PCI FFR and intravascular imaging and how the use of these conventional methods can be used in a post procedural setting to improve patient outcome. 
Simultaneously new modalities have arisen to provide the operator with a more simplistic and faster method to assess the hemodynamic significance of a coronary lesion. In the current thesis we aimed to strengthen the body of evidence of the quantitative coronary angiography based vFFR and our own version of instantaneous free wave ratio (iFR): dPR. 
Finally we aimed to gain more insight in in-vivo plaque and thrombus vulnerability with the use of quantitative polarization properties, measured through standard intravascular OFDI catheters. The polarization features offer refined insight into intravascular tissue composition, consistent with our current understanding of the mechanisms involved in plaque and thrombus progression and destabilization.

Due to corona, the PhD defences do not take place publicly in the usual way in the Senate Hall of the Professor Andries Querido Room. The candidates will defens their dissertation either in a small group or online.