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[Coronary atherosclerosis assessed by coronary angiography or intravascular ultrasound]
L O Jensen1, P Thayssen, K E Pedersen
1Odense Universitetshospital, kardiologisk afdeling B. Okkels@dadlnet.dk
Insights
Intensive cholesterol lowering can slow or reverse atherosclerosis in ischemic heart disease. Three-dimensional intravascular ultrasound accurately measures plaque volume and assesses disease progression or regression.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Ischemic heart disease (IHD) management often involves intensive cholesterol lowering.
- Atherosclerosis progression and regression are key concerns in IHD.
- Current imaging methods like coronary angiography have limitations in assessing vessel wall changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the role of intensive cholesterol lowering in IHD.
- To compare the capabilities of coronary angiography and 3D intravascular ultrasound in assessing atherosclerosis.
- To determine the reliability of 3D intravascular ultrasound for measuring atherosclerotic changes.
Main Methods:
- Patients with IHD underwent intensive serum cholesterol lowering.
- Coronary angiography was used as a standard imaging technique.
- Three-dimensional intravascular ultrasound (3D-IVUS) was employed to image coronary arteries.
Main Results:
- Intensive cholesterol lowering demonstrated potential to retard atherosclerotic progression and induce regression.
- 3D-IVUS provided detailed cross-sectional and longitudinal images of the vessel lumen and wall.
- Plaque volume could be accurately measured in entire arterial segments using 3D-IVUS.
Conclusions:
- Intensive cholesterol lowering may positively impact atherosclerotic progression and endothelial function in IHD.
- 3D-IVUS offers a superior perspective on atherosclerotic vessel wall changes compared to coronary angiography.
- 3D-IVUS is a reliable technique for quantifying atherosclerosis progression and regression in coronary arteries.
Abstract:
Intensive lowering of serum cholesterol in patients with ischaemic heart disease may retard atherosclerotic progression, and may even cause a limited regression in some patients and partly restore endothelial function. Coronary angiography has been the standard method to evaluate coronary anatomy. However, coronary angiography delineates only the vessel lumen as a silhouette, a perspective that is incapable of reflecting the irregular nature of the atherosclerotic vessel wall changes. Three-dimensional intravascular ultrasound provides cross-sectional and longitudinal images of both the vessel lumen and wall and the plaque volume can be measured in entire arterial segments. Three-dimensional intravascular ultrasound is a reliable technique to measure progression and regression of atherosclerosis in coronary arteries.