Background  

Data on coronary plaque observations on multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) in patients with type 2 diabetes are scarce.

Methods and Results  

In total, 60 patients (19 with diabetes) underwent 64-slice MSCT, followed by conventional coronary angiography with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Non-invasively, the extent of coronary atherosclerosis and 3 plaque types (non-calcified, calcified, mixed) were visually evaluated on MSCT. Invasively, plaque burden was assessed on gray-scale IVUS. Plaque composition was evaluated on virtual histology intravascular ultrasound (VH IVUS). Concerning geometrical plaque data, diabetic patients showed more plaques on MSCT (7.1 ± 3.2 vs 4.9 ± 3.2 in non-diabetic patients, P = .01). On gray-scale IVUS, diabetes was associated with a larger plaque burden (48.7 ± 10.7% vs 40.0 ± 12.1%, P = .003). Concerning plaque composition, diabetes was associated with more calcified plaques on MSCT (52% vs 24%). Relatively more fibrocalcific plaques in diabetic patients (29% versus 9%) were observed on VH IVUS. Moreover, these plaques contained more necrotic core (10.8 ± 5.9% vs 8.6 ± 5.2%, P = .01).

Conclusion  

A higher plaque extent and more calcified lesions were observed in diabetic patients on MSCT. The findings were confirmed on gray-scale and VH IVUS. Thus, MSCT may potentially be used to explore patterns of coronary atherosclerosis in diabetic patients.