Relation of microchannel structure identified by optical coherence tomography to plaque vulnerability in patients with coronary artery disease.

Increased neovascularization in atherosclerotic plaques is associated with plaque vulnerability. The high resolution of optical coherence tomography (OCT) might provide a chance to directly visualize plaque neovascularization in vivo. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between microchannels in culprit plaques identified by OCT and plaque vulnerability in patients with coronary artery disease. A total of 63 consecutive patients with coronary artery disease who had undergone both OCT and intravascular ultrasound before any interventions to examine culprit lesion morphologies were enrolled. Microchannel was defined as a no-signal tubuloluminal structure on the cross-sectional optical coherence tomographic image. Microchannels were found in 24 (38%) of the 63 patients. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence of microchannels. The frequency of plaque rupture tended to be greater in the microchannel group (50% vs 28%, p = 0.11). The thickness of the fibrous cap (median 60 vs 100 microm, p = 0.001) was significantly less in the patients with microchannels, and significant differences were found in the frequency of thin-cap fibroatheroma (54% vs 21%, p = 0.012) and positive remodeling (67% vs 36%, p = 0.02) between the 2 groups. The high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels in the microchannel group was significantly greater than those in the no-microchannel group (median 0.27 vs 0.13 mg/dl, p = 0.015). Moreover, increased microchannel counts were associated with greater high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (p = 0.01). In conclusion, a significant relation was found between the presence of microchannels in plaques identified by OCT and plaque vulnerability in patients with coronary artery disease.