Role of Lipid-Rich Plaques in Outcomes of Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

Introduction. The role of the lipid content of atherosclerotic plaques in outcomes of stenting is in need of further investigation. This study is aimed at assessing the outcomes in patients with lipid-rich and non-lipid-rich plaques following the drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation using the method of optical coherence tomography (OCT). Materials and methods . The total of 43 examined patients included 26 patients in the lipid-rich plaque group and 17 in the non-lipid-rich plaque group. The characteristics of plaques were examined by OCT. The percentages of sites presenting malapposition, tissue protrusion, dissection and thrombus were calculated according to established criteria. Results and discussion . The percentage of patients with the type 2 diabetes, the percentage of malapposition and tissue protrusion were all higher in the lipid-rich plaque group. Residual thrombus was more frequent in the lipid-rich plaque group in comparison with the non-lipid -rich plaque group. Conclusions. Lipid-rich plaques correlate with a higher incidence of malapposition, tissue protrusion, and thrombus following the stenting procedure, thus confirming the link between the atherosclerotic lesion type and suboptimal stenting outcomes.