Impact of Plaque Composition on Risk of Coronary Artery Diseases in Patients with Carotid Artery Stenosis.

OBJECT

Recent clinical studies have recently demonstrated a strong association between carotid artery stenosis and coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the clinical impact of carotid plaque composition on CAD remains unclear. This study was aimed to determine the relationship between carotid plaque composition and CAD in patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or carotid artery stenting (CAS).

METHODS

This prospective cohort study included a total of 97 patients who were admitted to our institution between January 2012 and April 2016. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed to semi-quantitatively analyze the components of carotid plaques by calculating the ratio of plaque intensity to muscle intensity on T1-weighted image. Diagnosis of CAD was based on patient history and clinical examinations during preoperative, postoperative and follow-up periods. Multivariate logistic analysis was performed to determine the risk factors for CAD. The relationship between contralateral plaque composition and CAD was also investigated.

RESULTS

Of 97 patients, 33 were diagnosed as having 44 episodes of CAD. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that ASO (odds ratio [OR], 5.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-18.9), contralateral carotid occlusive disease (OR, 6.5; 95%CI, 1.7-22.9), and plaque/muscle ratio (OR, 3.0; 95%CI, 1.4-10.1) were independent factors for predicting CAD. The patients diagnosed as having CAD during the follow-up period had significantly higher plaque/muscle ratio than those with CAD on preoperative evaluations (2.29 ± .21vs. 1.97 ± .33, P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

This study clearly demonstrates that ASO, contralateral carotid artery stenosis, and high-intensity carotid plaque on T1-weighted MRI independently predict CAD. Contralateral carotid plaque composition was also associated with concomitant CAD. Moreover, high-intensity carotid plaque may predict the future development of CAD. Therefore, unstable carotid plaque should be considered as the clinical phenotype of systemic inflammation and a novel, robust marker for future CAD.