Association of plaque in the carotid and coronary arteries, using MDCT angiography

Hamirani, Yasmin S.; Larijani, Vahid; Isma’eel, Hussain; Pagali, Sandeep R.; Bach, Phillips; Karlsberg, Ronald P.; Budoff, Matthew J.

doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2010.01.020

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Volume 211, Issue 1 , Pages 141-145, July 2010

Association of plaque in the carotid and coronary arteries, using MDCT angiography

Yasmin S. Hamirani
- Division of Cardiology, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA, Department of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, 1124 W, Carson Street, Torrance, CA 90502, United States
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 443 527 4766; fax: +1 310 222 4107.
Vahid Larijani
- Division of Cardiology, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA, Department of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, 1124 W, Carson Street, Torrance, CA 90502, United States
Hussain Isma’eel
- Division of Cardiology, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA, Department of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, 1124 W, Carson Street, Torrance, CA 90502, United States
Sandeep R. Pagali
- Division of Cardiology, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA, Department of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, 1124 W, Carson Street, Torrance, CA 90502, United States
Phillips Bach
- Sacramento Heart Institute, Sacramento, CA, United States
Ronald P. Karlsberg
- Cardiovascular Medical Group, Beverly Hills, CA, United States
Matthew J. Budoff
- Division of Cardiology, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA, Department of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, 1124 W, Carson Street, Torrance, CA 90502, United States

Received 24 December 2009; accepted 9 January 2010. published online 15 February 2010.

Abstract

Objective

Associations between various plaque types in coronary and carotid arteries using multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) have not yet been reported. We evaluated MDCT correlation of total plaque and various plaque subtypes in carotid and coronary arteries.

Methods

We studied 62 patients who had both carotid and cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA). The plaque in each vascular segment was classified as non-calcified, calcified or mixed.

Results

The average age of this population was 68±22 years, 63% males. Total plaque in the carotid artery correlated with total, calcified and mixed plaque in the coronary artery (all P<0.001). Calcified plaque in the carotid artery was associated with total and calcified plaque in the coronary bed (P<0.001). Non-calcified coronary plaque was not associated with carotid plaque.