title: [Computed Tomography in the Evaluation of Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaques: Comparison With Intravascular Ultrasound].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Determination of computed tomography angiography (CTA) informativeness in assessment of state of atherosclerotic coronary plaque (ACP) and identification of signs of its instability compared with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Coronary CTA was carried out in 52 patients with clinical presentation of non-ST elevation (NSTE) acute coronary syndrome on the first day of hospitalization. ACPs were identified in 32 of 52 patients (61.5%). IVUS was performed in 32 patients (mean age 58+/-11.4 years, 27 men, 5 women, 22 with unstable angina, 10 with NSTE myocardial infarction) and 50 plaques in 45 coronary arteries were characterized (39 with spectral analysis of IVUS data). All data were compared with the results of coronary CTA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sensitivity and specificity of CTA in the detection of stenosis >50% were 97.67 and 71.40%, respectively. Correlation analysis showed a high comparability of methods in determining plaque burden (r=0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.67 - 0.88, p<0.0001), plaque length (r=0.75, 95%CI 0.60 - 0.85, p<0.0001), and remodeling index (r=0.62, 95%CI 0.40 - 0.77, p<0.0001). Threshold value for "low-density areas" of plaques typical for thin cap fibroatheroma was less or equal 41 Hounsfield units (sensitivity 82%; specificity 86%; area under the curve 0.824; 95% CI 0.615 - 0.947, p<0.0005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Coronary CT is a non-invasive method for rapid characterization of ACP. CT results correlate well with IVUS data, including identification of such important signs of plaque instability as presence of "low-density zone" and positive remodeling at the plague level.
authors.affiliation: Russian Cardiology Research and Production Complex, Moscow, Russia.|Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Veselova
authors.affiliation: Russian Cardiology Research and Production Complex, Moscow, Russia.|Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Shabanova
authors.affiliation: Russian Cardiology Research and Production Complex, Moscow, Russia.|Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Mironov
authors.affiliation: Russian Cardiology Research and Production Complex, Moscow, Russia.|Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: I N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Merkulova
authors.affiliation: Russian Cardiology Research and Production Complex, Moscow, Russia.|Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Ternovoy
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease; D003331:Coronary Vessels; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D014054:Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional
keywords: atherosclerotic plaque; computed tomography; coronary arteries; intravascular ultrasound; low-density zone; remodelling index