An Intravascular Ultrasound Study On Vulnerable Plaque And Vascular Remodeling In Patients With Acute Coronory Syndrome

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the atherosclerotic plaque characteristics and distribution, to analyze the relationship between vulnerable plaque and arterial remodeling in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) .Methods: Fifty-five nonbifurcation native coronary lesions (in 36 patients) were imaged in vivo using 20-MHz IVUS transducers before implanting stent. Target lesions were identified on the basis of clinic, electrocardiography, and angiographic data. Fifty-five native coronary artery lesions were classified into target lesion group (66%) and non-target lesion group (34%). Qualitative assessment and quantitative measurements of the lesions were performed by IVUS in lesions site. The parameters including external elastic membrane cross-sectional area, lumen cross-sectional area, plaque burden and plaque cross-sectional were measured in lesions site and references site. The 10 mm-long lesion segment (5 mm proximal and 5 mm distal to the lesion site) was detected for qualitative assessment. As well as, these lesions were divided into groups of soft plaque, fibrous plaque, calcified plaque and mixed plaque according to different degree of ultrasound signal. Remodeling index (RI) was calculated (RI= the area of lesion external elastic membrane / the area of mean reference external elastic membrane). These lesions also were divided into 2 groups:...