The Goal of Achieving Atherosclerotic Plaque Regression with Lipid-Lowering Therapy: Insights from IVUS Trials.

Abstract

Enormous effort has been put into the prevention of atherosclerosis through risk modification, especially with lipid-lowering therapies. Regression, that is, the reversal of the atherosclerosis process, has long been a goal of atherosclerosis research among basic and clinical investigators. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was developed in the 1990s as an intracoronary imaging technique to observe the details of the vessel walls and to measure the vessel lumen and plaque area with high reproducibility. Compared with the coronary angiogram, IVUS provides far more detailed information on the vessel wall. In this article, we review lipid-lowering trials that have used IVUS and discuss the current understanding of the effectiveness of aggressive lipid-lowering therapy, which inhibits atherosclerotic progression and induces regression and plaque stabilization.

• Authors: Hiroyuki Daida, Tomotaka Dohi, Yoshifumi Fukushima, Hirotoshi Ohmura, Katsumi Miyauchi
• Journal: Journal of atherosclerosis and thrombosis (J Atheroscler Thromb) Vol. 26 Issue 7 Pg. 592-600 (Jul 01 2019) ISSN: 1880-3873 [Electronic] Japan
• PMID: 31118346 (Publication Type: Historical Article, Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Cholesterol, LDL
• Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
• Hypolipidemic Agents

Topics

• Atherosclerosis (drug therapy, prevention & control)
• Cholesterol, LDL (blood)
• Clinical Trials as Topic
• Coronary Angiography
• Endovascular Procedures
• History, 20th Century
• Humans
• Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors (therapeutic use)
• Hypolipidemic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Plaque, Atherosclerotic (drug therapy, history)
• Risk Factors
• Ultrasonography, Interventional