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Distinct pathological mechanisms distinguish acute coronary syndrome caused by plaque erosion from plaque rupture. Curr Opin Cardiol 2021; 36:793-797. [PMID: 34620794 DOI: 10.1097/hco.0000000000000912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The current systematic review aims to provide novel insights into the distinct pathological features of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with intact fibrous cap, also known as 'plaque erosion'. A more detailed understanding of its underlying pathomechanisms provides the basis for future personalized therapeutic approaches to ACS. RECENT FINDINGS In the past years, a mounting proportion of evidence point towards the concept of plaque erosion being responsible for more than one-third of all cases of ACS and representing an autonomous ACS-causing entity driven by biomechanical forces, immunological alternations and systemic elevation of inflammatory mediators. First pilot studies proved a therapeutic paradigm shift from primary PCI at the ACS-causing culprit lesion to systemic therapies in patients with ACS caused by plaque erosion. SUMMARY This review provides the current status of the broad basic and clinical studies focused to the topic of plaque erosion: a new ACS-causing pathophysiology with different pathological aspects providing appropriate implications for personalized therapies in ACS.
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Cao M, Wu T, Zhao J, Du Z, Wang Z, Li L, Wei G, Tian J, Jia H, Mintz GS, Yu B. Focal Geometry and Characteristics of Erosion-Prone Coronary Plaques in vivo Angiography and Optical Coherence Tomography Study. Front Cardiovasc Med 2021; 8:709480. [PMID: 34568452 PMCID: PMC8457312 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.709480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: This study compared focal geometry and characteristics of culprit plaque erosion (PE) vs. non-culprit plaques in ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients in whom optical coherence tomography (OCT) identified PE as the cause of the acute event. Background: Culprit PE is a distinct clinical entity with specific coronary risk factors and its own tailored management strategy. However, not all plaques develop erosion resulting in occlusive thrombus formation. Methods: Between January 2017 and July 2019, there were 484 STEMI patients in whom OCT at the time of primary percutaneous intervention identified culprit lesion PE to be the cause of the event; 484 culprit PE were compared to 1,132 non-culprit plaques within 1,196 imaged vessels. Results: Culprit PE were highly populated at “hot spots” within the proximal 40 mm in the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and tended to cluster proximal to a nearby bifurcation mainly in the LAD. Minimal lumen area (MLA) <2.51 mm2 and AS (area stenosis) >64.02% discriminated culprit PE from non-culprit plaques. In the multivariable analysis, focal geometry (LAD location, distance from coronary ostium <40 mm, and location proximal to a nearby bifurcation), luminal narrowing (MLA <2.51 mm2, AS > 64.02%), and TCFA phenotype were independent predictors of culprit PE overall. Cholesterol crystals were predictive of culprit PE with underlying LRP morphology while the absence of calcification and microchannels were risk factors for culprit PE with an underlying non-LRP. Similarities and differences in predictors of culprit PE were found between males and females; distance from coronary ostium <40 mm, MLA <2.51 mm2, TCFA, and less spotty calcium were risk factors of culprit PE in males, but not in females while smaller RVD was associated with culprit PE only in females. Conclusions: Irrespective of underlying lesion substrates and patient risk factors, there are lesion-specific and OCT-identifiable predictors of developing culprit PE in erosion-prone vulnerable patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhua Cao
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education, Harbin, China
| | - Tianyu Wu
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education, Harbin, China
| | - Jiawei Zhao
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education, Harbin, China
| | - Zhuo Du
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education, Harbin, China
| | - Zhuozhong Wang
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education, Harbin, China
| | - Lulu Li
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education, Harbin, China
| | - Guo Wei
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education, Harbin, China
| | - Jinwei Tian
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education, Harbin, China
| | - Haibo Jia
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education, Harbin, China
| | - Gary S Mintz
- Cardiovascular Research Foundation, New York, NY, United States
| | - Bo Yu
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education, Harbin, China
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Vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque features: findings from coronary imaging. JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC CARDIOLOGY : JGC 2021; 18:577-584. [PMID: 34404993 PMCID: PMC8352771 DOI: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2021.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Pathological studies have suggested that features of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques likely to progress and lead to acute cardiovascular events have specific characteristics. Given the progress of intravascular coronary imaging technology, some large prospective studies have detected features of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques using these imaging modalities. However, the rate of cardiovascular events, such as acute coronary syndrome, has been found to be considerably reduced in the limited follow-up period available in the statin era. Additionally, not all disrupted plaques lead to thrombus formation with clinical presentation. If sub-occlusive or occlusive thrombus formation does not occur, a thrombus on a disrupted plaque will organize without any symptoms, forming a “healed plaque”. Although vulnerable plaque detection using intracoronary imaging is focused on “thin-cap fibroatheroma” leading to plaque rupture, superficial plaque erosion is increasingly recognized; however, the underlying mechanism of thrombus formation on eroded plaques is not well understood. One of intravascular imaging, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has the highest image resolution and has enabled detailed characterization of the plaque in vivo. Here, we reviewed the status and limitations of intravascular imaging in terms of detecting vulnerable plaque through mainly OCT studies. We suggested that vulnerable plaque should be reconsidered in terms of eroded plaque and healed plaque and that both plaque and circulating blood should be assessed in greater detail accordingly.
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Fang C, Lu J, Zhang S, Wang J, Wang Y, Li L, Wang Y, Jiang S, Yin Y, Guo J, Lei F, Yu H, Wei G, Yao Y, Chen T, Ren X, Xing L, Tu Y, Hou J, Dai J, Yu B. Morphological Characteristics of Eroded Plaques with Noncritical Coronary Stenosis: An Optical Coherence Tomography Study. J Atheroscler Thromb 2021; 29:126-140. [PMID: 33455996 PMCID: PMC8737071 DOI: 10.5551/jat.60301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims:
Recent studies suggested plaque erosion with noncritical stenosis could be treated distinctly from that with critical stenosis, but their morphological features remained largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate morphological features of eroded plaques with different lumen stenosis using optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Methods:
A total of 348 ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction patients with culprit OCT-defined plaque erosion (OCT-erosion) were analyzed. Based on the severity of lumen area stenosis, all patients with OCT-erosions were divided into the following three groups: Group A (area stenosis <50%,
n
=50); Group B (50% ≤ area stenosis <75%,
n
=146); Group C (area stenosis ≥ 75%,
n
=152).
Results:
Compared with patients in Groups A and B, patients in Group C were older (
p
=0.008) and had higher prevalence of hypertension (
p
=0.029). Angiographic analysis showed that 72.0% of the eroded plaques in Group A were located in the left anterior descending artery, followed by 67.8% in Group B, and 53.9% in Group C (
p
=0.039). OCT analysis showed that Group A had the highest prevalence of fibrous plaques (
p
<0.001) and nearby bifurcation (
p
=0.036), but the lowest prevalence of lipid-rich plaques (
p
<0.001), macrophage accumulation (
p
<0.001), microvessels (
p
=0.009), cholesterol crystals (
p
<0.001), and calcification (
p
=0.023). Multivariable regression analysis showed fibrous plaque (odds ratio [OR]: 3.014, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.932–4.702,
p
<0.001) and nearby bifurcation (OR: 1.750, 95% CI: 1.109–2.761,
p
=0.016) were independently associated with OCT-erosion with an area stenosis of <75%.
Conclusions:
More than half of OCT-erosions presented with <75% area stenosis, having distinct morphological features from those of OCT-erosions with critical stenosis. Fibrous plaque and nearby bifurcation were independently associated with noncritically stenotic OCT-erosion, suggesting that eroded plaques might need individualized treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Fang
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Jia Lu
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Shaotao Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Jifei Wang
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Yidan Wang
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Lulu Li
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Yini Wang
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Senqing Jiang
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Yanwei Yin
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Junchen Guo
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Fangmeng Lei
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Huai Yu
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Guo Wei
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Yuan Yao
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Tao Chen
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Xuefeng Ren
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Lei Xing
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Yingfeng Tu
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Jingbo Hou
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Jiannan Dai
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
| | - Bo Yu
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education
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