title: Impact of lipid-lowering therapy with pitavastatin, a new HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, on regression of coronary atherosclerotic plaque.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent lipid-lowering trials have reported that statin therapy may retard progression or stimulate regression of human coronary plaque. In the present study volumetric intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) analyses were performed to investigate the effect of pitavastatin, a newly developed statin, on regression of human coronary plaque.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-two patients matched for age and gender from 870 consecutive patients undergoing IVUS guided percutaneous coronary intervention were retrospectively assigned to either lipid-lowering therapy (n=41; pitavastatin 2 mg/day) or control group (n=41; diet only). Serial volumetric IVUS analyses of a matched left main coronary arterial site were performed. A significant reduction in low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) level of 33.2% (p<0.001) was observed in the pitavastatin group. Plaque volume index (PVI) was significantly reduced in the pitavastatin group (10.6+/-9.4% decrease) compared with the control group (8.1+/-14.0% increase, p<0.001). There were positive correlations between the percent change in the PVI and follow-up LDL-C level (r=0.500, p<0.001) and the percent change in LDL-C level (r=0.479, p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lipid-lowering therapy with pitavastatin induced significant coronary plaque regression, associated with a significant reduction in the LDL-C level. The percent change in the PVI showed a significant positive correlation with the percent change in LDL-C level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan. h0914@aichi-med-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takashima
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yasukawa
authors.forename: Katsuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Waseda
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asai
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wakita
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kosaka
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuhara
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011804:Quinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D011804:Quinolines; D014280:Triglycerides; C108475:pitavastatin