Coronary Artery Calcification and Changes in Atheroma Burden in Response to Established Medical Therapies

• Published in: Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2007-01, Vol.49 (2), p.263-270
• Main Authors: Nicholls, Stephen J., MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FACC, Tuzcu, E. Murat, MD, FACC, Wolski, Kathy, MPH, Sipahi, Ilke, MD, Schoenhagen, Paul, MD, Crowe, Timothy, BS, Kapadia, Samir R., MD, FACC, Hazen, Stanley L., MD, PhD, Nissen, Steven E., MD, FACC
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antihypertensive Agents - therapeutic use; Atherosclerosis - complications; Atherosclerosis - drug therapy; Atherosclerosis - pathology; Blood pressure; Calcinosis - diagnostic imaging; Calcinosis - drug therapy; Calcinosis - etiology; Calcinosis - pathology; Calcium - metabolism; Cardiology; Cardiovascular; Cardiovascular disease; Catheters; Cholesterol; Cohort Studies; Coronary Artery Disease - complications; Coronary Artery Disease - diagnostic imaging; Coronary Artery Disease - drug therapy; Coronary Artery Disease - pathology; Coronary Circulation - drug effects; Coronary vessels; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Internal Medicine; Male; Middle Aged; Probability; Prognosis; Proteins; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Statistics, Nonparametric; Studies; Treatment Outcome; Triglycerides; Ultrasonography, Interventional; Vascular Patency - drug effects
• ISSN: 0735-1097; 1558-3597
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2006.10.038

Coronary Artery Calcification and Changes in Atheroma Burden in Response to Established Medical Therapies Stephen J. Nicholls, E. Murat Tuzcu, Kathy Wolski, Ilke Sipahi, Paul Schoenhagen, Timothy Crowe, Samir R. Kapadia, Stanley L. Hazen, Steven E. Nissen This study sought to determine the relationship between coronary calcification and plaque progression, assessed by serial intravascular ultrasound, in response to established medical therapies. Patients were classified as having a low or high degree of arterial calcification. Patients with more calcium had a greater number of atherosclerotic risk factors, had a greater amount of plaque, and were more likely to undergo constrictive remodeling at baseline. Patients with less calcium, however, were more likely to undergo substantial changes in atheroma burden in response to use of antiatherosclerotic therapies. This suggests that calcific plaques are more resistant to risk factor modification.