Does spotty calcification attenuate the response of nonculprit plaque to statin therapy?: A serial optical coherence tomography study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine if spotty calcification decreases the response of plaque progression to statin therapy.

Background: Previous studies showed that the presence of spotty calcification is a marker of vulnerable plaque. However, the relationship between spotty calcification and plaque progression is not clear.

Impact of statins therapy on morphological changes in lipid-rich plaques stratified by 10-Year framingham risk score: A serial optical coherence tomography study.

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of statins therapy on morphological changes of lipid-rich plaques by OCT (optical coherence tomography) in patients with known CHD (coronary heart disease), stratified by FRS. Ninety-seven lipid-rich plaques from sixty-nine patients who received statins therapy and underwent serial OCT images (baseline, 6-month and 12-month) were divided into 2 groups according to the FRS (framingham risk score): low risk group A (FRS<10%, N=35, n=45), moderate to high risk group B (FRS≥10%, N=34, n=52). Fibrous cap thickness (FCT) was measured at its thinnest part 3 times.