Abstract 12442: Hs-CRP Level Represents the Disease Burden and the Age but Not Vulnerability of Coronary Atherosclerosis: A Study of Volumetric Plaque Composition by 3-vessel Virtual Histology-intravascular Ultrasound

Background: hs-CRP has been known as a systemic inflammatory marker of atherosclerosis and considered as one of the predictors of future cardiac events. Some reports presented hs-CRP level was associated with plaque vulnerability but most studies were performed by assessing focal target plaque but not whole plaques from a coronary tree. Methods: To evaluate of the relationship of plasma hs-CRP level and volumetric plaque composition of the coronary arterial tree, we performed ‘whole vessel” virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) in 189 vessels of 63 patients.The components of atherosclerosis were classified as fibrous (FI), fibrous-fatty (FF), necrotic core (NC) and dense calcium (DC). Quantitative assessment of these plaque components and the presence of VH-IVUS-derived thin-cap fibroatheroma (VH-TCFA) in the coronary arterial trees were compared to hs-CRP levels in individuals. hs-CRP levels were measured before coronary angiogram and IVUS study. Results: Forty-nine patients (77.8%) were d...