The assessment of changes in atherosclerotic plaque volume is increasingly used as a surrogate endpoint in clinical trials evaluating the effects of antiatherogenic therapies. Currently, intravascular ultrasound, cardiovascular magnetic resonance, and carotid intima media thickening are the modalities usually used. The utility of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for this purpose has not yet been assessed. This article presents the results of a pilot study in rabbits to evaluate the use of MDCT to monitor changes in atheroma volume. Methods: Abdominal-aorta atherosclerotic lesions were induced in rabbits (n = 7), which were then randomized to 2 doses of placebo or a drug with known plaque-regressing properties (apoA-IMilano). Pre- and posttreat- ment 64-slice CT angiographic studies of the aorta were performed.
Results: Plaque burden by MDCT regressed by 29% in apoA-IMilano- treated animals while it did not significantly change in the placebo group. In the last MDCT study, plaque volume was 10.6% smaller in apoA- IMilano animals, which corresponded to the postmortem histologic analysis (11.5% smaller plaque in the apoA-IMilano group). Conclusion: Multidetector CT is a promising tool to assess changes in atheroma burden.