ABSTRACT
@#Objective To investigate the relationship between atherosclerotic plaque characteristics and clinical symptoms in patients with unilateral moderate-to-severe stenosis of the extracranial segment of the internal carotid artery. Methods We included a total of 151 patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy for unilateral moderate-to-severe carotid stenosis [confirmed by carotid Doppler ultrasonography(CDU) and computed tomography angiography] at the Department of Neurosurgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. They were divided into symptomatic group and asymptomatic group according to clinical manifestations. The two groups were examined by CDU for the characteristics of carotid artery plaques(fibrous cap integrity,ulcerative plaques,plaque calcification,etc.) and the degree of vascular stenosis. Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography was performed to record the hemodynamic parameters(Vm,Vs,Vd,and PI) of bilateral middle cerebral arteries(MCA). Computed tomography perfusion imaging(CTP) was performed to record the parameters(CBF,CBV,MTT,and TTP) of bilateral basal ganglia and temporal lobes. The two groups were compared for carotid plaque characteristics and the degree of stenosis using the chi-square test,and for the differences in the hemodynamic parameters of MCA between the unaffected and affected sides and the CTP parameters of the basal ganglia and temporal lobe on the affected side using the independent samples t test and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results The symptomatic group was significantly older at the age of onset than the asymptomatic group(P<0.05). The incidence rates of ulcerative plaques and plaque surface calcification were significantly higher in the symptomatic patients with moderate/severe carotid stenosis than in the asymptomatic groups(P<0.05). The differences in Vm,Vs,and Vd of MCA between the unaffected and affected sides were significantly larger in the symptomatic moderate/severe stenosis groups than in the asymptomatic moderate/severe stenosis groups(P<0.05). There were significant differences in CBF,MTT,and TTP of the basal ganglia and temporal lobe on the affected side between severe stenosis groups(P<0.05),but those CTP parameters showed no significant differences between moderate stenosis groups(P>0.05). Conclusion Severe carotid artery stenosis can cause intracranial hypoperfusion,and moderate stenosis with unstable plaques can also produce clinical symptoms. It is of great clinical significance to evaluate carotid plaque characteristics and the degree of stenosis for individualized diagnosis and treatment.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the lesion characteristics and predictors of invasive coronary angiography (ICA)-verified obstructive lesions with fractional flow reserve (FFR)>0.80, that is, anatomy-function mismatch.Methods:A total of 515 obstructive vessels in 419 coronary disease patients from 11 Chinese medical centers undergoing coronary CT angiography and ICA and FFR were retrospectively analyzed. All vessels had one target lesion with diameter stenosis ≥50 % by ICA. There were 229 vessels in the match group (FFR≤0.80) and 286 vessels in the mismatch group (FFR>0.80). The lesion characteristics including lesion territory, the distance of the coronary artery ostium to the proximal end of the lesion, minimum lumen area, reference lumen area, plaque length and burden, plaque volume and component volume, remodeling index and plaque morphological complexity were measured and compared between the two groups. Optimal thresholds of quantitative plaque characteristics were defined by Yoden index. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the predictors of anatomy-function mismatch. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to analyze the ability of different lesion features to predict mismatched lesions.Results:The coronary stenosis, plaque burden and length, plaque volume (including each component volume) in the mismatch group were smaller than those in the match group, and FFR, minimum lumen area were larger (all P<0.05). Left anterior descending artery (LAD) lesion and severe complex plaque were more common in the match group than the mismatch group with a statistically significant difference. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that LAD lesion, minimum lumen area>4 mm 2, plaque burden and length, plaque calcification volume<27 mm 3, plaque lipid volume<30 mm 3, plaque fiber volume<150 mm 3 and plaque morphological complexity were predictiors of anatomic function mismatched lesions; Multivariate logistic regression showed that the minimum lumen area>4 mm 2 (OR=3.371, 95%CI 1.903-5.973, P<0.001), plaque lipid volume<30 mm 3 (OR=3.014, 95%CI 1.691-5.373, P<0.001), plaque morphological complexity (mild OR=17.772, 95%CI 8.072-39.128, P<0.001, moderate OR=6.383, 95%CI 3.739-10.896, P<0.001) were independent predictors of mismatched lesions. The AUC of the model based on the minimum lumen area, plaque lipid volume and morphological complexity was 0.824, which was superior to either of the plaque feature alone ( P<0.001). Conclusions:The minimum lumen area, lipid volume and plaque morphological complexity are independent predictors of the anatomical-functional mismatch lesions, and the combination can significantly improve the prediction value.