Intravascular Ultrasound Evidence of Angiographically Silent Progression in Coronary Atherosclerosis Predicts Long-Term Morbidity and Mortality After Cardiac Transplantation

Rapidly progressive vasculopathy by IVUS, defined as an increase of ≥0.5 mm in intimal thickness within the first year after transplantation, is a powerful predictor of all-cause mortality, MI, and angiographic abnormalities. Accordingly, such patients may be candidates for more aggressive anti-atherosclerotic and/or immunosuppressive therapy.