Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are common diseases that threaten human health. These diseases have high morbidity, disability, mortality, and recurrence rates as well as numerous complications. An estimated 17.7 million people worldwide die from cardio-cerebral vascular diseases each year, and these diseases rank first in lists of various causes of death^[1]. In China, the number of patients with cardio-cerebral vascular diseases is more than 230 million. About 3 million patients die from cardio-cerebral vascular diseases annually, which accounts for 41% of the deaths from any cause^[2].

Since Roentgen discovered x-rays in 1895, the medical profession has continually explored intravascular imaging techniques. In 1980, Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) was successfully developed and put into clinical use by Mistrettasl et al.^[3] at the University of Wisconsin and Nadelman et al.^[4] at the University of Arizona. DSA was less invasive, safe, and convenient. In recent years, DSA has played a vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of cardio-cerebral vascular diseases as well as cancer and peripheral vascular diseases^{[5, 6]}.

However, because of the distribution of contrast agents, DSA simply reflects the shape of the lumen rather than the intravascular structure, and it is especially difficult to evaluate each layer of the vascular wall and the composition of atherosclerotic plaques with DSA. Motion artifacts resulting from the heartbeat, breathing, and other inevitable movements are another major defect of DSA, and these defects make it hard to diagnose and analyze angiograms. In addition, during DSA examinations, the high doses of radiation, and the risks of allergic reactions and renal dysfunction induced by contrast agents have long plagued the medical profession. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new high-resolution imaging system that can show the intravascular flow, the structure of vascular walls, and atherosclerotic plaque composition in real time.

Quantum technology is one of today's disruptive innovations. Quantum correlated imaging, which is known as Ghost Imaging (GI), is an interdisciplinary technique that involves quantum mechanics, information science, and engineering optics. In 1994, the first quantum correlated image was created by Shih et al.^[7] at the University of Maryland, which has become an international research hotspot. GI uses the second correlated relationships among intensity, phase, and spatial fluctuations between random light fields and the object field to reconstruct the object image. Compared with DSA, GI has many advantages, including high sensitivity, good anti-interference, and imaging in real-time^[8]. The composition of atherosclerotic plaques can be determined by comparing images collected under different wavelengths with spectral GI. In addition, the shapes of vascular walls and atherosclerotic plaques can be visualized with three-dimensional GI, and intravascular flow can be observed with continuous imaging measurements. Therefore, GI provides an effective way for the realtime online imaging of intravascular flow, vascular wall structure, and atherosclerotic plaque composition, and it contributes to the diagnosis of cardio-cerebral vascular diseases and improves the safety and effectiveness of intravascular interventional treatments. In conclusion, quantum correlated imaging is a promising new technique that can soon be used in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Conflicts of interest

None of the contributing authors have any conflicts of interest.