Atherosclerosis 211 (2010) 141–145 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Atherosclerosis journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/atherosclerosis Short communication Association of plaque in the carotid and coronary arteries, using MDCT angiography Yasmin S. Hamirani a,∗ , Vahid Larijani a , Hussain Isma’eel a , Sandeep R. Pagali a , Phillips Bach b , Ronald P. Karlsberg c , Matthew J. Budoff a a Division of Cardiology, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA, Department of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, 1124 W, Carson Street, Torrance, CA 90502, United States b Sacramento Heart Institute, Sacramento, CA, United States c Cardiovascular Medical Group, Beverly Hills, CA, United States article info Article history: Received 24 December 2009 Accepted 9 January 2010 Available online 25 January 2010 Keywords: Carotid artery Coronary artery Plaque Correlation Cardiovascular computed tomography abstract Objective: Associations between various plaque types in coronary and carotid arteries using multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) have not yet been reported. We evaluated MDCT correlation of total plaque and various plaque subtypes in carotid and coronary arteries. Methods: We studied 62 patients who had both carotid and cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA). The plaque in each vascular segment was classified as non-calcified, calcified or mixed. Results: The average age of this population was 68 ± 22 years, 63% males. Total plaque in the carotid artery correlated with total, calcified and mixed plaque in the coronary artery (all P < 0.001). Calcified plaque in the carotid artery was associated with total and calcified plaque in the coronary bed (P < 0.001). Non-calcified coronary plaque was not associated with carotid plaque. Conclusion: Total plaque in coronary and carotid arteries are highly correlated. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. 1. Introduction The association between carotid and coronary atherosclerosis has been recognized. In particular, carotid intima media thick- ness (CIMT) is a well established screening test for atherosclerosis [1–3]. CIMT is a relatively insensitive measure of plaque evolution because plaque grows longitudinally along the carotid axis of flow more than two times faster than it thickens [3], and is highly oper- ator dependent [4]. Also, the association of CIMT with coronary atherosclerosis is weaker [5,6] than the association between carotid plaque and coronary atherosclerosis [7–10]. It has been shown that plaque formation in the carotid and coronary arteries are closely related [11] and have similar atherogenesis [12]. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the heart due to its higher spatial and contrast resolution is now used to study plaque and its components. To our knowledge, no previous study has uti- lized CTA in assessing correlation of total plaque and various plaque subtypes in carotid versus coronary arteries. ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 443 527 4766; fax: +1 310 222 4107. E-mail address: yasminshamshuddin@yahoo.com (Y.S. Hamirani). 2. Methods 2.1. Patient population Sixty-two consecutive patients undergoing both CTA of the carotids and cardiac within 6 months were included in the study. Baseline demographic data as well as history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, smoking and family history of coronary artery disease (CAD) was collected on all patients from the electronic medical records as well as chart review (Table 1). 2.2. Cardiac CTA protocol The CTA was conducted using a 64-multidetector row scanner (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI). Collimation was 64 mm × 0.625 mm with tube rotation time of 350 ms. The tube current was 300–400 mA at 100–120 kV for patients based on their body size. Individuals presenting with baseline heart rates of >65 beats/min were administered oral beta-blocker therapy as the preferred method for slowing down the heart rate. Intravenous administration was allowed in the protocol, using Metoprolol at 5 mg increments to a total possible dose of 25 mg to achieve a resting heart rate of <65 beats/min. Methodology for CTA has been previously published [14]. 0021-9150/$ – see front matter. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2010.01.020