Characterization and morphology of atherosclerotic plaque of coronary arteries: utility of electron-beam tomography to detect non-calcified plaque: a comparison with conventional coronary angiography and intravascular ultrasound.

BACKGROUND: Electron-beam tomography (EBT) may provide useful information about characterization and morphology of atherosclerotic plaque of coronary arteries.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six subjects (20 male, 6 female) with suspected coronary heart disease had two routine (r) and one enhanced (e) EBT scans to detect non-calcified plaque (NCP) in the coronary arterial lumen, and were compared with conventional coronary angiograms (CAG) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).
RESULTS: Three had the sites, which did not have high CT values suggesting calcification in rEBT, nor which was not enhanced by contrast material in eEBT. One had the site with positive CT values that were supposed to be the proliferation intima or organized thrombus and at the corresponding site mixed plaque was observed in the IVUS image. The other two had the site with negative CT values that were supposed to be fat tissue with significant stenosis in CAG. We also made the cross-sectional images of the vessel and the morphology of the NCP, which projected into the lumen, could be evaluated.
CONCLUSIONS: We could detect the NCP, differentiate fat tissue from soft tissue and evaluate the morphology of the plaque in EBT.