Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are at increased risk for atherosclerosis-related events compared to non-DM (NDM) patients. With an expected worldwide epidemic of DM, early detection of anatomic and functional coronary atherosclerotic changes is gaining attention. To improve our understanding of early atherosclerosis development, we studied a swine model that gradually developed coronary atherosclerosis. Interestingly, optical coherence tomography, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), vascular function, and histology demonstrated no differences between development of early atherosclerosis in fast-food-fed (FF) DM swine and that in FF-NDM swine. Coronary computed tomography angiography did not detect early atherosclerosis, but optical coherence tomography and near-infrared spectroscopy demonstrated coronary atherosclerosis development in FF-DM and FF-NDM swine.
Keywords: CCTA, coronary computed tomography angiography; DM, diabetes mellitus; FF, fast-food-fed; FIT, fibrous intimal thickening; LCP, lipid core plaque; LL, lipid-laden; NDM, no/non-diabetes mellitus; NIRS, near-infrared spectroscopy; OCT, optical coherence tomography; QCA, quantitative coronary angiography; SNAP, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine; animal model; coronary artery disease; coronary computed tomography angiography; diabetes mellitus; near-infrared spectroscopy; optical coherence tomography.