Abstract
Background: Vulnerable coronary plaques are identified as thin-capped fibroatheromas with substantial plaque and a lipid-enriched necrotic core. These plaques are often non-flow-limiting on assessment; however, they have been associated with future adverse clinical outcomes, such as unstable angina, myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death. Current guidelines do not recommend revascularization of such coronary plaques; however, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) can theoretically slow atherosclerotic progression and potentially reduce future adverse events. Methods: Major electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared PCI to optimal medical therapy (OMT) for vulnerable coronary plaques. The outcomes were pooled using a random-effects model, and the results were expressed as risk ratios (RR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: 3 RCTs with 1811 patients (909: PCI and 902: OMT) were included. PCI demonstrated a statistically insignificant trend towards a decreased risk of all-cause mortality [RR: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.13, 1.27; p=0.12], cardiovascular mortality [RR: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.02, 1.38; p=0.10], myocardial infarction [RR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.35, 1.72; p=0.53], target vessel-related myocardial infarction [RR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.04, 11.27; p=0.79], ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization [RR: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.04, 1.22; p=0.08], and major adverse cardiovascular events [RR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.14, 1.18; p=0.10] compared to OMT. Conclusion: This study concluded that PCI was comparable to OMT in patients with vulnerable atherosclerotic coronary plaques. Further large-scale RCTs with longer follow-up durations are required to confirm these findings.
Published Version
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