The Ability of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Identify Vulnerable Patients and Plaques: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

NIRS-derived LCBI is an effective measurement for identifying vulnerable patients and plaques at risk of future MACE/MACCE. Patients with an elevated LCBI have 2.93 times higher odds of enduring a future adverse event. The precision of the pooled OR provides a more precise estimate that can be used in future studies. A maxLCBI4(mm) of 400 or greater seems to be a useful threshold for classifying at-risk plaques.