title: Analysis of atherosclerotic plaques obtained by coronary atherectomy: Foam cells correlated positively with subsequent restenosis.
abstract: Restenosis following coronary intervention is a complex process the mechanisms of which remains mostly unknown. Tissue obtained by atherectomy is an important means to study restenosis. Previous studies on atherectomy-retrieved tissue have not identified histologic features that correlate with restenosis. We performed an histopathologic evaluation on atherosclerotic plaque tissue obtained by atherectomy from 58 patients, all of whom had a 6-month angiographic follow-up. We identified macrophages and lymphocytes and localized tumor necrosis factor-α expression in the tissue by immunohistochemistry. Histopathology was correlated with late angiographic outcomes. Of 10 histologic features evaluated in the plaque tissue, only the presence of foam cells, identified in paraffin sections, correlated positively with restenosis (p = 0.04). Immunohistochemistry showed that macrophages (p = .07), tumor necrosis factor-α (p = .07), and lymphocytes (p = .14) were more prominent, but not significantly so, in lesions from patients with foam cells and restenosis than in lesions from patients without foam cells or restenosis. Thus the presence of foam cells in primary lesions obtained by atherectomy as identified in paraffin-embedded tissue appears to be a marker for restenosis.
authors: Cardiovascular Clinical Research Laboratory, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
authors: V C
authors: VC
authors: Lima
authors: Vascular Research Laboratory, Department of Pathology. Banting and Best Diabetes Centre, The Toronto Hospital Research Institute Canada.
authors: A I
authors: AI
authors: Gotlieb
authors: The Toronto Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Clausell
authors: Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Molossi
authors: The Toronto Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
authors: B P
authors: BP
authors: Kimball
authors: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, Canada; University of Toronto, Canada.
authors: E A
authors: EA
authors: Cohen
authors: The Toronto Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
authors: P P
authors: PP
authors: Liu
authors: Cardiovascular Clinical Research Laboratory, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
authors: A G
authors: AG
authors: Adelman