Title:The Relation Between Red Blood Cell Distribution Width and Coronary
Atherosclerotic Plaque Vulnerability Detected by Intracoronary Optical
Coherence Tomography
Volume: 20
Issue: 6
Author(s): Peng Jin, Si-Jing Wu, Qian Ma, Wei Liu, Ying-Xin Zhao, Hong-Ya Han, Fang-Jie Hou, Ya Li and Yu-Jie Zhou*
Affiliation:
- Department of Cardiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Heart Lung and
Blood Vessel Disease, Beijing Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine of Coronary Atherosclerotic Disease, Clinical
Center for Coronary Heart Disease, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100029, China
Keywords:
Red blood cell distribution width, coronary artery disease, plaque vulnerability, optical coherence tomography, acute coronary syndrome, thin-cap fibroatheroma.
Abstract:
Background: A higher red blood cell distribution width (RDW) predicts major
adverse cardiac events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, there are only a
few studies regarding the relationship between RDW and vulnerable plaques. Thus, the purpose of the
present study is to retrospectively explore the predictive value of the association between RDW and
plaque vulnerability assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with cardiovascular
(CV) diseases.
Methods: This study included 35 patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) and 70 patients with the
acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We documented clinical features as well as peripheral RDW. Plaque
vulnerability was determined by OCT. We defined thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) as a lipid-rich plaque
(fibrous cap <65 μm thick).
Results: Plaque rupture was detected more frequently in patients with ACS compared with patients with
SAP (62.9 vs. 2.9%, p<0.001, and the corresponding TCFA were 50.69±15.68 vs. 80.03±21.60 μm,
p<0.001, respectively). A higher RDW was found in patients with ACS than in patients with SAP
(p<0.001). A cut-off value of RDW >13.85% could detect ruptured plaque with a sensitivity of 72.3%
and a specificity of 62%.
Conclusion: TCFA and plaque rupture were detected more frequently in patients with ACS compared
with SAP. Elevated RDW was positively the predictive value of the association between plaque vulnerability.
