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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2006;26:2826.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Letter to the Editor

Evaluation of Differences in Coronary Plaque Mechanical Behavior in Individuals With and Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

James A. Shaw; Anthony J. White; Rodney Reddy; Stephen J. Duffy; Anthony S. Walton; Bronwyn A. Kingwell; Anthony M. Dart

From the Baker Heart Research Institute (J.A.S., A.J.W., R.R., S.J.D., B.A.K., A.M.D.) and Alfred Hospital (J.A.S., A.J.W., R.R., S.J.D., A.S.W., A.M.D.), Melbourne, Australia.

Correspondence to Dr James A. Shaw, Dept of Cardiovascular Medicine, Alfred Hospital/Baker Heart Research Institute, PO Box 6492, St Kilda Rd Central 8008, Australia. E-mail j.shaw@alfred.org.au

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis.¹ Although there has been a significant amount of work examining histological factors which predispose to plaque rupture and subsequent acute coronary syndromes,² less is known about the role of plaque and vessel biomechanical properties. We have previously shown using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), that there is a significant change in coronary plaque area between systole and diastole, and this is a major determinant of coronary compliance.³ In the current study we used IVUS to assess coronary plaque characteristics in individuals with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus.

All patients scheduled for percutaneous coronary intervention of lesions in the circumflex or left anterior descending (LAD) arteries were considered eligible for inclusion, other than those undergoing emergent revascularization for acute myocardial infarction. Diabetic patients were identified as those who had their diabetes diagnosed in adult life with biochemical confirmation including a fasting glucose >7.0 mmol/L. The study was approved by the Human Ethics Committee of the Alfred Hospital.

Collection of IVUS images, pressure recordings, and analysis were performed as in our previous study.³ Assessment was undertaken in the proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD) at a site remote from any hemodynamically significant stenosis or site of intervention and with no more than a 20% angiographic stenosis

Group data are presented as mean±SEM. Comparisons between groups were made by t test or Wilcoxon signed rank test in the case of a nonnormal distribution. Categorical variables were compared using the ² test. A probability . . . [Full Text of this Article]