Abstract #4535

Comparison of Carotid Plaque Characteristics Between Japanese and Midwest American Caucasian Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: A 3.0T MRI Study.

Hideki Ota¹, J. Kevin DeMarco², Minako Wakayama³, David C. Zhu², Kei Takase¹, Shoki Takahashi¹

¹Diagnostic Radiology, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan; ²Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States; ³Cardiology, Sendai Red Cross Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

The purpose of this study was to compare carotid plaque characteristics in Japanese (Asian) and Midwest American (Caucasian) patients with advanced atherosclerosis. Twenty-two Japanese and 32 American men with asymptomatic >50% carotid stenosis and history of coronary artery disease underwent multi-contrast carotid MR imaging. After adjusting for baseline demographic characteristics as possible confounders, Japanese patients more commonly had complicated AHA-type VI plaque, hemorrhage and larger necrotic core than Americans. The present results indicate that the development of carotid atherosclerosis appears different between the two populations with advanced atherosclerosis.