Effect of rosuvastatin therapy on carotid plaque morphology and composition in moderately hypercholesterolemic patients: a high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging trial

Am Heart J. 2008 Mar;155(3):584.e1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2007.11.018. Epub 2008 Jan 18.

Abstract

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can noninvasively assess changes in atherosclerotic plaque morphology and composition. The ORION trial assessed the effects of rosuvastatin on carotid plaque volume and composition.

Methods: The randomized, double-blind ORION trial used 1.5-T MRI to image carotid atherosclerotic plaques at baseline and after 24 months of treatment. Forty-three patients with fasting low-density lipoprotein cholesterol > or = 100 and < 250 mg/dL and 16% to 79% carotid stenosis by duplex ultrasound were randomized to receive either a low (5 mg) or high (40/80 mg) dose of rosuvastatin.

Results: After 24 months, 33 patients had matched serial MRI scans to compare by reviewers blinded to clinical data, dosage, and temporal sequence of scans. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly reduced from baseline in both the low- and high-dose groups (38.2% and 59.9%, respectively, both P < .001). At 24 months, there were no significant changes in carotid plaque volume for either dosage group. In all patients with a lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC) at baseline, the mean proportion of the vessel wall composed of LRNC (%LRNC) decreased by 41.4% (P = .005).

Conclusions: In patients with moderate hypercholesterolemia, both low- and high-dose rosuvastatin were effective in reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Furthermore, rosuvastatin was associated with a reduction in %LRNC, whereas the overall plaque burden remained unchanged over the course of 2 years of treatment. These findings provide evidence that statin therapy may have a beneficial effect on plaque volume and composition, as assessed by noninvasive MRI.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Carotid Arteries / pathology*
  • Carotid Artery Diseases / drug therapy*
  • Carotid Artery Diseases / etiology
  • Carotid Artery Diseases / pathology
  • Disease Progression
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Female
  • Fluorobenzenes / administration & dosage
  • Fluorobenzenes / therapeutic use*
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / administration & dosage
  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Hypercholesterolemia / complications
  • Hypercholesterolemia / drug therapy
  • Hypercholesterolemia / pathology*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pyrimidines / administration & dosage
  • Pyrimidines / therapeutic use*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Rosuvastatin Calcium
  • Sulfonamides / administration & dosage
  • Sulfonamides / therapeutic use*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Fluorobenzenes
  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
  • Pyrimidines
  • Sulfonamides
  • Rosuvastatin Calcium