title: The impact of blood pressure variability on coronary plaque vulnerability in stable angina: an analysis using optical coherence tomography.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Blood pressure variability (BPV), especially visit-to-visit BPV, has been reported to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The impact of BPV on coronary plaque vulnerability remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between BPV and coronary plaque vulnerability.
  
  
  METHODS
  From August 2013 to May 2014, 36 patients with both hypertension and stable angina pectoris who underwent a percutaneous coronary intervention guided by frequency-domain optical coherence tomography were investigated retrospectively. The size of the lipid cores and the thickness of the fibrous cap covering the lipid core were measured by frequency-domain optical coherence tomography, and we calculated the blood pressure coefficient of variation (CV) and SD as intraindividual visit-to-visit BPV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both SD and CV of systolic blood pressure (SBP) correlated positively with lipid arc (SBP-SD: r=0.68, P<0.01; SBP-CV: r=0.64, P<0.01) as well as average SBP (r=0.48, P<0.01). Fibrous cap thickness did not correlate with blood pressure variables or BPV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BPV is related to coronary plaque volume, but not to coronary plaque vulnerability. In addition to conventional coronary risk factors, BPV may be a therapeutic target for coronary atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aoyama
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.forename: Keishi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inui
authors.forename: Yukichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tokita
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shimizu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D060050:Angina, Stable / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D062645:Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D013997:Time Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome