Disparity between angiographic coronary lesion complexity and lipid core plaques assessed by near-infrared spectroscopy

Comparison of adverse cardiovascular event endpoints between patients with diabetes and patients without diabetes based on coronary artery plaques: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The classification of major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) endpoints in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and either confirmed coronary artery disease (CAD) or high CAD risk, as well as the extent of the association between T2DM and coronary plaque characteristics, remains uncertain.

PURPOSE

This meta-analysis aims to compare MACE endpoints between patients with diabetes and patients without diabetes based on coronary artery plaques.

METHODS

We searched studies from Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library up until September 1, 2023. Two independent researchers evaluated the quality and bias of the included studies. We used odds ratio (OR) and standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess the effect of individual lesion parameters and coronary artery plaque characteristics on MACE endpoints.

RESULTS

Seven studies covered 1218 patients with diabetes and 3038 patients without diabetes. The follow-up time ranged from 2 to 5.4 years. The pooled results indicated that in all CAD lesions, DM was more strongly associated with MACE, myocardial infarction (MI), revascularization, and rehospitalization for unstable or progressive angina. The pooled OR was 1.82 (95% CI: 1.42 to 2.33, I2 = 0%, P < 0.00001) for MACE, 2.36 (95% CI: 1.47 to 3.79, I2 = 0%, P = 0.0004) for MI, 1.83 (95% CI: 1.33 to 2.53, I2 = 0%, P = 0.0002) for revascularization, and 1.65 (95% CI: 1.20 to 2.27, I2 = 0%, P = 0.002) for rehospitalization respectively. Subgroup analysis of culprit lesions (CLs) revealed significant differences between DM and non-DM for MACE, MI, revascularization, and stent thrombosis. While non-culprit lesions (NCLs) showed differences for MACE, MI, revascularization, and rehospitalization between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

The rates of MACE, MI, and revascularization are greater in DM than in non-DM patients in terms of all lesions, CLs, and NCLs. Except for CLs, the readmission rate is greater for unstable or progressive angina. Plaque characteristics are similar between patients with and without diabetes. Prospero registration number CRD42023474226.

Lipid plaque burden in NSTE-ACS patients with or without COPD: insights from the SCAP Trial

BACKGROUND

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients have higher recurrence of adverse events and worse prognosis after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The underlying pathophysiological mechanism is not fully elucidated.

METHODS

In screening for COPD in ACS (SCAP) Trial (NCT02324660), ACS patients with smoking habit underwent a predischarge screening procedure to detect undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (UCOPD) confirmed with spirometry at 60 days. Patients were then categorized as UCOPD or no-COPD. In 65 NSTE-ACS patients, we performed near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in the culprit and at least one non-culprit vessel (151 vessels overall), and we calculated the SYNTAX I Score. Primary endpoint was max lipid core burden index (LCBI) 4 mm. Secondary endpoints were SYNTAX Score I and vessel LCBI.

RESULTS

Max LCBI 4 mm and vessel LCBI were significantly higher in the UCOPD compared to the no-COPD group (UCOPD 388±122, no-COPD 264±131, P<0.001; UCOPD 118±50, no-COPD 82±42, P<0.001, respectively). UCOPD patients showed higher max LCBI 4 mm and LCBI vessel both in culprit and non-culprit vessels. SYNTAX Score I was comparable between the two groups (UCOPD: 13.5 [5.5-24], no-COPD: 12.5 [5-24.5], P=0.7).

CONCLUSIONS

NSTE-ACS patients with UCOPD showed a higher LCBI compared to those without COPD, while SYNTAX Score I was comparable between the two groups.

SYNTAX score in relation to intravascular ultrasound and near-infrared spectroscopy for the assessment of atherosclerotic burden in patients with coronary artery disease

AIMS

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the anatomical SYNTAX score (SXscore), derived from all three coronary arteries, and coronary wall pathology measured by radiofrequency intravascular ultrasound (RF-IVUS) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in a single non-culprit segment.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In patients referred for coronary angiography (N=88) or PCI (N=592) for stable angina or acute coronary syndrome, the SYNTAX score calculator (www.syntaxscore.com) was used to determine the SXscore before PCI, if applicable. RF-IVUS and/or NIRS were performed in a non-stenotic 40 mm study segment following the clinically indicated angiography/PCI. After adjustment for multiple confounders, a higher SXscore was associated with higher segmental plaque volume in the study segment (2.21 mm3 per SXscore point, 95% CI: 0.92-3.50, p-value 0.001), as well as with higher volume of fibrous (0.93 mm3 per point) and fibro-fatty tissue (0.29 mm3 per point). A higher SXscore was also associated with a higher NIRS-derived lipid core burden index (LCBI) in the full study segment (1.35 units per SXscore point, 95% CI: 0.22-2.47, p-value 0.019). Importantly, SXscore correlated with the fatty/fibro-fatty and LCBI signals despite adjusting for plaque burden.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with CAD, higher SXscores are associated with higher atherosclerotic burden as assessed by RF-IVUS and NIRS in a single non-stenotic coronary artery segment.

Intracoronary Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Imaging for Detection of Lipid Content of Coronary Plaques: Current Experience and Future Perspectives

Acute coronary syndromes are frequently caused by “vulnerable” coronary plaques with a lipid-rich core. In 1993 near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was first used to detect the lipid (cholesterol) content of atherosclerotic plaques in an experimental animal study. NIRS was then carefully validated using human atherosclerotic plaques (ex vivo), and has subsequently been developed for intracoronary imaging in humans, for which now an FDA-approved catheter-based NIRS system is available. NIRS provides a “chemogram” of the coronary artery wall and is used to detect lipid-rich plaques. Using this technology, recent studies have shown that lipid-rich plaques are very frequent in the culprit lesion of patients with an acute coronary syndrome, and are also common in non-culprit coronary lesions in these patients as compared to patients with stable coronary disease. First studies are evaluating the impact of statin therapy on coronary NIRS-detected lipid cores. Intracoronary NIRS imaging represents a highly interesting method for coronary plaque characterization in humans and may become a valuable tool for the development of novel therapies aiming to impact on the biology of human coronary artery plaques, likely in combination with other intracoronary imaging techniques, such as optical coherence tomography.