Open Access, Peer-reviewed
pISSN 2287-2892
eISSN 2288-2561
    J Lipid Atheroscler. 2017 Dec;6(2):61-65. Korean.
    Published online Dec 31, 2017.
    https://doi.org/10.12997/jla.2017.6.2.61
    Copyright © 2017 The Korean Society of Lipidology and Atherosclerosis.
    Review

    Statin Therapy with Coronary Plaque Imaging

    Jae Hyoung Park
      • Cardiology, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
    • Corresponding Author: Jae Hyoung Park, Cardiology, Korea University Anam Hospital, 73 Inchon-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea. Tel: +82-2-920-5445, Fax: +82-2-927-1478, Email: jhpark3992@naver.com
    Received November 20, 2017; Revised December 10, 2017; Accepted December 14, 2017.

    This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

    Abstract

    If there is coronary plaque, do we need statin therapy? Many studies have been conducted to answer this question. According to global guidelines, there is a high-risk patient population who could benefit from statin therapy. According to the guidelines, patients with a history of previous cardiovascular disease are subject to statin therapy. In addition, several other studies have shown that asymptomatic coronary plaque could cause future cardiovascular events. Therefore, statin therapy could be considered in patients with coronary artery plaque. These coronary plaques can be quantified through invasive intra-coronary imaging equipment. Especially, vulnerable arteriosclerosis is the main cause of cardiovascular events. Use of statins in the presence of coronary plaques may help reduce atheroma volume and stabilize vulnerability. In conclusion, coronary artery imaging is very useful for the initiation and evaluation of statin therapy.

    Keywords
    Coronary plaque; Statin; IVUS; OCT; NIRS; Plaque regression

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    MeSH Terms
    Arteriosclerosis
    Cardiovascular Diseases
    Coronary Vessels
    Humans
    Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors*
    Plaque, Atherosclerotic
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