title: Impact of statin treatment on strut coverage after drug-eluting stent implantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of statin treatment on strut coverage after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, 60 patients were randomly assigned to undergo sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) or biolimus-eluting stent (BES) implantation, after which patients were randomly treated with pitavastatin 2 mg or pravastatin 20 mg for 6 months. The degree of strut coverage was assessed by 6-month follow-up optical coherence tomography, which was performed in 52 DES-implanted patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentages of uncovered struts were 19.4±14.7% in pitavastatin-treated patients (n=25) and 19.1±15.2% in pravastatin-treated patients (n=27; p=0.927). A lower percentage of uncovered struts was significantly correlated with a lower follow-up low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level (r=0.486; p=0.009) and a greater decline of the LDL cholesterol level (r=-0.456; p=0.015) in SES-implanted patients, but not in BES-implanted patients. In SES-implanted patients, the percentage of uncovered struts was significantly lower among those with LDL cholesterol levels of less than 70 mg/dL after 6 months of follow-up (p=0.025), but no significant difference in this variable according to the follow-up LDL cholesterol level was noted among BES-implanted patients (p=0.971).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower follow-up LDL cholesterol levels, especially those less than 70 mg/dL, might have a protective effect against delayed strut coverage after DES implantation. This vascular healing effect of lower LDL cholesterol levels could differ according to the DES type.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yongsung
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Byeong-Keuk
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Ho
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Sun
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Guk
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Donghoon
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.; Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yangsoo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.; Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. mkhong61@ yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Myeong-Ki
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D054855:Drug-Eluting Stents; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017035:Pravastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D011804:Quinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D011804:Quinolines; D017035:Pravastatin; C108475:pitavastatin
keywords: Stent; optical coherence tomography; statin