[Intracoronary temperature in patients with coronary artery disease].
OBJECTIVE
Measurements of changes in plaque temperature may predict plaque rupture. The present study investigated variations in temperature within the atherosclerotic coronary artery using a pressure guide wire with thermal sensor (dual sensor guide wire).


RESULTS
Seventy-seven patients (78 lesions), who had no significant lesion at the orifice of the culprit coronary artery, were studied. The patients had acute myocardial infarction (22 patients), unstable angina pectoris (20 patients), and stable angina pectoris (35 patients). The thermal sensor was calibrated at the orifice of the coronary artery, and then inserted into the culprit coronary artery. deltaT was defined as the difference between the intracoronary temperature at the position of the pressure gradient and at the orifice. deltaT was higher in patients with acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris than in patients with stable angina pectoris (0.09 +/- 0.07 and 0.07 +/- 0.07 vs 0.03 +/- 0.04 degrees C, p < 0.001, p = 0.02, respectively). There was no significant difference in deltaT between patients with acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris (p = 0.48). Patients with acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris showed a significant relationship between deltaT and C-reactive protein (r = 0.59, p = 0.0004).


CONCLUSIONS
The variations in intracoronary temperature of the culprit coronary arteries in patients with acute coronary syndrome were higher than those in patients with stable angina pectoris. These variations may be related to inflammation of vulnerable plaque.
Shindo
Naohisa
N
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Medical University, Nishi-Shinjuku 6-7-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023. nshindo@tokyo-med.ac.jp
Tanaka
Nobuhiro
N
Kobori
Yuichi
Y
Kobayashi
Hideyuki
H
Teramoto
Tomohiko
T
Takazawa
Kenji
K
Yamashina
Akira
A
D000368:Aged; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000503:physiopathology; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods; D001831:Body Temperature; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology*
D002097:C-Reactive Protein