This is the first report clarifying detailed changes in coronary plaque by statin in humans. This study indicated that lipid-lowering therapy changes plaque color and morphology and should then lead to coronary plaque stabilization.

Yellow plaques with an increased distensibility and a compensatory enlargement may be mechanically and structurally weak. As a result, mechanical "fatigue," caused by repetitive stretching, may lead to plaque disruption. Plaques with a high distensibility and a compensatory enlargement may be vulnerable.

Background-Elevated troponin T levels in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS) have been shown to predict an adverse outcome. Furthermore, it has been reported that troponin T could help improve the effectiveness of such new antithrombotic drugs as platelet GPIIb/IIIa antagonists and low-molecular-weight heparins. We hypothesized that such elevated troponin T levels in NSTE-ACS indicate the presence of thrombus at culprit lesions, and this hypothesis was verified through the use of coronary angioscopy. Methods and Results-We studied 57 consecutive patients with NSTE-ACS who underwent preinterventional angioscopy.Before catheterization, we obtained blood samples to determine troponin positivity, and the patients were then classified as either troponin-positive or troponin-negative groups (diagnostic threshold, 0.1 ng/mL). Using angioscopy at the culprit lesions, we examined the presence of coronary thrombus, yellow plaque, and complex plaque. Moreover, we compared the preinterventional angiographic parameters (thrombus and complexity of the culprit lesion, and TIMI flow) between the two groups. Twenty-two patients were troponin-positive and 35 patients were troponin-negative. Univariate analyses indicated that the TIMI flow and the incidence of coronary thrombus detected with angioscopy correlate with the elevated troponin T levels. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the presence of coronary thrombus detected with angioscopy to be the only independent factor associated with elevated troponin T levels in patients with NSTE-ACS (odds ratio, 22.1; 95% CI, 2.59 to 188.42; Pϭ0.0046). Conclusions-Using angioscopy, the elevated troponin T levels in NSTE-ACS were confirmed to be strongly associated with the presence of coronary thrombus.

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OBJECTIVETo determine if prediabetes is associated with atherosclerosis of coronary arteries, we evaluated the degree of coronary atherosclerosis in nondiabetic, prediabetic, and diabetic patients by using coronary angioscopy to identify plaque vulnerability based on yellow color intensity.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSSixty-seven patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) underwent angioscopic observation of multiple main-trunk coronary arteries. According to the American Diabetes Association guidelines, patients were divided into nondiabetic (n = 16), prediabetic (n = 28), and diabetic (n = 23) groups. Plaque color grade was defined as 1 (light yellow), 2 (yellow), or 3 (intense yellow) based on angioscopic findings. The number of yellow plaques (NYPs) per vessel and maximum yellow grade (MYG) were compared among the groups.RESULTSMean NYP and MYG differed significantly between the groups (P = 0.01 and P = 0.047, respectively). These indexes were higher in prediabetic than in nondiabetic patients (P = 0.02 and P = 0.04, respectively), but similar in prediabetic and diabetic patients (P = 0.44 and P = 0.21, respectively). Diabetes and prediabetes were independent predictors of multiple yellow plaques (NYPs ≥2) in multivariate logistic regression analysis (odds ratio [OR] 10.8 [95% CI 2.09–55.6], P = 0.005; and OR 4.13 [95% CI 1.01–17.0], P = 0.049, respectively).CONCLUSIONSCoronary atherosclerosis and plaque vulnerability were more advanced in prediabetic than in nondiabetic patients and comparable between prediabetic and diabetic patients. Slight or mild disorders in glucose metabolism, such as prediabetes, could be a risk factor for CAD, as is diabetes itself.