Takeaway
- Long-term use of statins showed good association with slower progression of overall coronary atherosclerosis volume, increased plaque calcification and reduced features of high-risk plaque.
Why this matters
- Not much is known about the generalisability of intravascular ultrasonography data among lower risk population or advanced coronary disease or beyond 24 months.
Study design
- Observational study of 1255 patients (statin-naive group, n=474; statin-receiving group, n=781) who underwent serial coronary computed tomography angiography.
- Atherosclerotic plaques were assessed for percent diameter stenosis, percent atheroma volume (PAV), plaque composition, presence of high-risk plaque (HRP) and positive arterial remodelling or spotty calcifications.
- Funding: National Research Foundation of Korea.
Key results
- Overall, 2496 lesions in statin-receiving group and 1079 lesions in statin-naive group were observed.
- Lesions in statin-receiving group showed slower rates of PAV progression (1.76±2.40 mm3 per year; P=.002) and higher progression of calcified PAV (1.27±1.54 mm3 per year; P<.001) vs statin-naive patients.
- Statin-receiving patients showed low progression of noncalcified PAV (0.49±2.39 mm3 per year; P<.001) and annual incidence of new HRP features (0.9% per year; P<.001).
- Statins showed reduced risk for annualised increase in noncalcified PV above the median (HR, 0.703; P<.001) and reduction in HRP development (HR, 0.670; P=.026).
Limitations
- Risk for bias.
- Observational study design.
References
References