Table 1. Comparison of characteristics of novel intra coronary imaging modalities.

	Gray-scale IVUS	CAS	OCT
Imaging source	Ultra-sound	Visible light	Near infra-red light
Resolution (µm)	150–200	50	10–20
Penetration depth (mm)	5	none	2
Lipid pool	*	**	***
Calcium	***	none	***
Fibrous cap	*	**	***
Macrophages	none	none	*
Microvascularizations	none	none	**
Thrombus	*	***	***

Notes.

^*modest

^**good

^***excellent identification