Pathologic Intimal Thickening Plaque Phenotype: Not as Innocent as Previously Thought. A Serial 3D Intravascular Ultrasound Virtual Histology Study.
OBJECTIVE
Pathologic intimal thickening (PIT) has been considered a benign plaque phenotype. We report plaque phenotypic changes in a baseline/follow-up intravascular ultrasound-based virtual histology study.


METHODS
A total of 61 patients with stable coronary artery disease were analyzed from the HEAVEN trial (89 patients randomized between routine statin therapy vs atorvastatin 80mg and ezetimibe 10mg) with serial intravascular ultrasound imaging of nonculprit vessels. We compared changes in 693 baseline and follow-up 5-mm long segments in a novel risk score, Liverpool Active Plaque Score (LAPS), plaque parameters, and plaque composition.


RESULTS
The PIT showed the highest increase of risk score and, with fibrous plaque, also the LAPS. Necrotic core (NC) abutting to the lumen increased in PIT (22 ± 51.7; P = .0001) and in fibrous plaque (17.9 ± 42.6; P = .004) but decreased in thin cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) (⿿15.14 ± 52.2; P = .001). The PIT was the most likely of all nonthin cap fibroatheroma plaque types to transform into TCFA at follow-up (11% of all TCFA found during follow-up and 35.9% of newly-developed TCFA), but showed (together with fibrous plaque) the lowest stability during lipid-lowering therapy (24.7% of PIT remained PIT and 24.5% of fibrous plaque remained fibrous plaque).


CONCLUSIONS
Over the 1-year follow-up, PIT was the most dynamic of the plaque phenotypes and was associated with an increase of risk score and LAPS (together with fibrous plaque), NC percentage (together with fibrous plaque) and NC abutting to the lumen, despite a small reduction of plaque volume during lipid-lowering therapy. The PIT was the main source for new TCFA segments.
2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Praha, Czech Republic. Electronic address: tomas.kovarnik@vfn.cz.
Tomas
T
Kovarnik
Department of Intravascular Imaging, Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States.
Zhi
Z
Chen
Department of Intravascular Imaging, Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States.
Andreas
A
Wahle
Department of Intravascular Imaging, Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States.
Ling
L
Zhang
2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Praha, Czech Republic.
Hana
H
Skalicka
2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Praha, Czech Republic.
Ales
A
Kral
Department of Invasive Cardiology, Loyola University, Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Illinois, United States.
John J
JJ
Lopez
2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Praha, Czech Republic.
Jan
J
Horak
Department of Intravascular Imaging, Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States.
Milan
M
Sonka
2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Praha, Czech Republic.
Ales
A
Linhart
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000069059:Atorvastatin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D000069438:Ezetimibe / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000379:methods*; D014584:User-Computer Interface
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D000069438:Ezetimibe
Angina estable; Atherosclerotic plaque; Ecografía intravascular; Estudio de seguimiento; Follow-up study; Intravascular ultrasound; Lipid; Lípidos; Placa ateroesclerótica; Stable angina