• Yasushi Ino, Takashi Kubo, Atsushi Tanaka, Akio Kuroi, Hiroto Tsujioka, Hideyuki Ikejima, Keishi Okouchi, Manabu Kashiwagi, Shigeho Takarada, Hironori Kitabata, Takashi Tanimoto, Kenichi Komukai, Kohei Ishibashi, Keizo Kimura, Kumiko Hirata, Masato Mizukoshi, Toshio Imanishi, and Takashi Akasaka.
• Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan.
• JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2011 Jan 1;4(1):76-82.

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate the difference of culprit lesion morphologies assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT) between ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS).BackgroundAutopsy studies have reported that rupture of a thin-cap fibroatheroma and subsequent thrombus formation is the most important mechanism leading to acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Optical coherence tomography is a high-resolution imaging modality that is capable of investigating detailed coronary plaque morphology in vivo.MethodsWe examined the culprit lesion morphologies by OCT in 89 consecutive patients with acute coronary syndrome (STEMI = 40; NSTEACS = 49).ResultsThe incidence of plaque rupture, thin-cap fibroatheroma, and red thrombus was significantly higher in STEMI compared with NSTEACS (70% vs. 47%, p = 0.033, 78% vs. 49%, p = 0.008, and 78% vs. 27%, p < 0.001, respectively). Although the lumen area at the site of plaque rupture was similar in the both groups (2.44 ± 1.34 mm(2) vs. 2.96 ± 1.91 mm(2), p = 0.250), the area of ruptured cavity was significantly larger in STEMI compared with NSTEACS (2.52 ± 1.36 mm(2) vs. 1.67 ± 1.37 mm(2), p = 0.034). Furthermore, the ruptured plaque of which aperture was open-wide against the direction of coronary flow was more often seen in STEMI compared with NSTEACS (46% vs. 17%, p = 0.036).ConclusionsThe present OCT study demonstrated the differences of the culprit lesion morphologies between STEMI and NSTEACS. The morphological feature of plaque rupture and the intracoronary thrombus could relate to the clinical presentation in patients with acute coronary disease.Copyright © 2011 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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