title: Coronary Calcification and Plaque Vulnerability: An Optical Coherence Tomographic Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spotty superficial calcium deposits have been implicated in plaque vulnerability based on previous intravascular imaging studies. Biomechanical models suggest that microcalcifications between 5 and 65 µm in diameter can intensify fibrous cap stress, promoting plaque rupture. However, the 100- to 200-µm resolution of intravascular ultrasound limits its ability to discriminate single calcium deposits from clusters of smaller deposits, and a previous optical coherence tomographic investigation evaluated calcifications within a long segment of artery, which may not truly reflect the mechanics involved in potentiating focal plaque rupture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Detailed optical coherence tomographic assessment of coronary calcification at the culprit plaque (10-mm length) was performed in 53 patients with acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction mediated by plaque rupture and 55 patients with stable angina pectoris. The number and longitudinal length of individual calcium deposits were recorded. Cross-sectional images were analyzed every 1 mm for calcium arc and depth, and these quantitative parameters were used to define individual deposits as spotty, large, and superficial. There was no significant difference between ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction mediated by plaque rupture and stable angina pectoris groups in the number of total (P=0.58), spotty (P=0.87), or large calcium deposits (P=0.27). Minimum calcium depth was similar between groups (P=0.27), as was the number of superficial deposits (P=0.35 using a 65-µm depth threshold and P=0.84 using a 100-µm depth threshold).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The number and pattern of culprit plaque calcifications did not differ between patients presenting with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction mediated by plaque rupture versus stable angina pectoris. The optical coherence tomographic assessment of coronary calcification may not be a useful marker of local plaque vulnerability as previously suspected.
  URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01110538.
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology (D.S.O., J.S.L., T.S., Y.M., Z.W., I.-K.J.) and Biostatistics Center (H.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Cardiology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan (T.H., H.Y., T.Y, K.O.); and Division of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea (I.-K.J.).
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology (D.S.O., J.S.L., T.S., Y.M., Z.W., I.-K.J.) and Biostatistics Center (H.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Cardiology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan (T.H., H.Y., T.Y, K.O.); and Division of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea (I.-K.J.).
authors.forename: Jay S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology (D.S.O., J.S.L., T.S., Y.M., Z.W., I.-K.J.) and Biostatistics Center (H.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Cardiology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan (T.H., H.Y., T.Y, K.O.); and Division of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea (I.-K.J.).
authors.forename: Tsunenari
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Soeda
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology (D.S.O., J.S.L., T.S., Y.M., Z.W., I.-K.J.) and Biostatistics Center (H.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Cardiology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan (T.H., H.Y., T.Y, K.O.); and Division of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea (I.-K.J.).
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Higuma
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology (D.S.O., J.S.L., T.S., Y.M., Z.W., I.-K.J.) and Biostatistics Center (H.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Cardiology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan (T.H., H.Y., T.Y, K.O.); and Division of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea (I.-K.J.).
authors.forename: Yoshiyasu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology (D.S.O., J.S.L., T.S., Y.M., Z.W., I.-K.J.) and Biostatistics Center (H.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Cardiology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan (T.H., H.Y., T.Y, K.O.); and Division of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea (I.-K.J.).
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology (D.S.O., J.S.L., T.S., Y.M., Z.W., I.-K.J.) and Biostatistics Center (H.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Cardiology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan (T.H., H.Y., T.Y, K.O.); and Division of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea (I.-K.J.).
authors.forename: Hang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology (D.S.O., J.S.L., T.S., Y.M., Z.W., I.-K.J.) and Biostatistics Center (H.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Cardiology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan (T.H., H.Y., T.Y, K.O.); and Division of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea (I.-K.J.).
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology (D.S.O., J.S.L., T.S., Y.M., Z.W., I.-K.J.) and Biostatistics Center (H.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Cardiology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan (T.H., H.Y., T.Y, K.O.); and Division of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea (I.-K.J.).
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokota
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology (D.S.O., J.S.L., T.S., Y.M., Z.W., I.-K.J.) and Biostatistics Center (H.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Cardiology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan (T.H., H.Y., T.Y, K.O.); and Division of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea (I.-K.J.).
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okumura
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology (D.S.O., J.S.L., T.S., Y.M., Z.W., I.-K.J.) and Biostatistics Center (H.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Cardiology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan (T.H., H.Y., T.Y, K.O.); and Division of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea (I.-K.J.). ijang@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Ik-Kyung
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Jang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence
keywords: atherosclerosis; calcium; cross-sectional studies; myocardial infarction; tomography, optical coherence