TY - JOUR
T1 - Coronary Artery Calcium Progression Is Associated With Coronary Plaque Volume Progression
T2 - Results From a Quantitative Semiautomated Coronary Artery Plaque Analysis
AU - Ceponiene, Indre
AU - Nakanishi, Rine
AU - Osawa, Kazuhiro
AU - Kanisawa, Mitsuru
AU - Nezarat, Negin
AU - Rahmani, Sina
AU - Kissel, Kendall
AU - Kim, Michael
AU - Jayawardena, Eranthi
AU - Broersen, Alexander
AU - Kitslaar, Pieter
AU - Budoff, Matthew J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American College of Cardiology Foundation
PY - 2018/12
Y1 - 2018/12
N2 - Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether coronary artery calcium (CAC) progression was associated with coronary plaque progression on coronary computed tomographic angiography. Background: CAC progression and coronary plaque characteristics are associated with incident coronary heart disease. However, natural history of coronary atherosclerosis has not been well described to date, and the understanding of the association between CAC progression and coronary plaque subtypes such as noncalcified plaque progression remains unclear. Methods: Consecutive patients who were referred to our clinic for evaluation and had serial coronary computed tomography angiography scans performed were included in the study. Coronary artery plaque (total, fibrous, fibrous-fatty, low-attenuation, densely calcified) volumes were calculated using semiautomated plaque analysis software. Results: A total of 211 patients (61.3 ± 12.7 years of age, 75.4% men) were included in the analysis. The mean interval between baseline and follow-up scans was 3.3 ± 1.7 years. CAC progression was associated with a significant linear increase in all types of coronary plaque and no plaque progression was observed in subjects without CAC progression. In multivariate analysis, annualized and normalized total plaque (β = 0.38; p < 0.001), noncalcified plaque (β = 0.35; p = 0.001), fibrous plaque (β = 0.56; p < 0.001), and calcified plaque (β = 0.63; p = 0.001) volume progression, but not fibrous-fatty (β = 0.03; p = 0.28) or low-attenuation plaque (β = 0.11; p = 0.1) progression, were independently associated with CAC progression. Plaque progression did not differ between the sexes. A significantly increased total and calcified plaque progression was observed in statin users. Conclusions: In a clinical practice setting, progression of CAC was significantly associated with an increase in both calcified and noncalcified plaque volume, except fibrous-fatty and low-attenuation plaque. Serial CAC measurements may be helpful in determining the need for intensification of preventive treatment.
AB - Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether coronary artery calcium (CAC) progression was associated with coronary plaque progression on coronary computed tomographic angiography. Background: CAC progression and coronary plaque characteristics are associated with incident coronary heart disease. However, natural history of coronary atherosclerosis has not been well described to date, and the understanding of the association between CAC progression and coronary plaque subtypes such as noncalcified plaque progression remains unclear. Methods: Consecutive patients who were referred to our clinic for evaluation and had serial coronary computed tomography angiography scans performed were included in the study. Coronary artery plaque (total, fibrous, fibrous-fatty, low-attenuation, densely calcified) volumes were calculated using semiautomated plaque analysis software. Results: A total of 211 patients (61.3 ± 12.7 years of age, 75.4% men) were included in the analysis. The mean interval between baseline and follow-up scans was 3.3 ± 1.7 years. CAC progression was associated with a significant linear increase in all types of coronary plaque and no plaque progression was observed in subjects without CAC progression. In multivariate analysis, annualized and normalized total plaque (β = 0.38; p < 0.001), noncalcified plaque (β = 0.35; p = 0.001), fibrous plaque (β = 0.56; p < 0.001), and calcified plaque (β = 0.63; p = 0.001) volume progression, but not fibrous-fatty (β = 0.03; p = 0.28) or low-attenuation plaque (β = 0.11; p = 0.1) progression, were independently associated with CAC progression. Plaque progression did not differ between the sexes. A significantly increased total and calcified plaque progression was observed in statin users. Conclusions: In a clinical practice setting, progression of CAC was significantly associated with an increase in both calcified and noncalcified plaque volume, except fibrous-fatty and low-attenuation plaque. Serial CAC measurements may be helpful in determining the need for intensification of preventive treatment.
KW - coronary artery calcium progression
KW - coronary computed tomography angiography
KW - plaque progression
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jcmg.2017.07.023
DO - 10.1016/j.jcmg.2017.07.023
M3 - Article
C2 - 29055625
AN - SCOPUS:85031805210
SN - 1936-878X
VL - 11
SP - 1785
EP - 1794
JO - JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging
JF - JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging
IS - 12
ER -