Waksman R, Di Mario C, Torguson R, et al. - Through a prospective, cohort study of 1,563 individuals from 44 medical centers recruited in Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Slovakia, UK, and the USA, researchers built the association between lipid-rich plaques (LRPs) identified by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-intravascular ultrasound imaging at unstented sites and following coronary events from new culprit lesions. In patients undergoing cardiac catheterization and possible percutaneous coronary intervention, NIRS imaging of non-obstructive territories was observed to be safe and it could help in recognizing patients and segments at higher risk for succeeding non-culprit major adverse cardiovascular events. Moreover, NIRS-intravascular ultrasound imaging contributes to the armamentarium as the first diagnostic tool able to identify vulnerable individuals and plaques in clinical practice.