Identification of Carotid Vasa Vasorum and Correlation With Acute Coronary Events

July 20, 2017 updated by: Flordeliza Villanueva, University of Pittsburgh

Adventitial vasa vasorum (VV) as well as intraplaque microvessels are known to be associated with atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound has been validated as a technique to measure the density of VV. Previous studies have demonstrated a relationship between identification of VV and relationship to vascular events such as stroke and myocardial infarction. No previous study has reported the utilization of contrast-enhanced ultrasound identification of VV in the carotid bed as a means of identifying patients at high risk for acute coronary events.

Aims: In this study, the investigators will aim to identify VV and intraplaque microvessels along with carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), a known marker for acute coronary events. The investigators will attempt to measure the correlation of VV with acute coronary events independent of traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and CIMT.

Methods: 90 volunteers (30 low risk patients, 30 patients with established coronary artery disease (CAD), and 30 patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS)) will be enrolled. All patients will undergo contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging of their carotid arteries and measurement of CIMT while obtaining baseline histories and assessment of traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease. VV density and CIMT will be measured in all patients. Statistical differences in VV among the three groups will be assessed and analyses will be made to attempt to identify if VV in the carotid bed is an independent predictor of acute coronary events after controlling for CIMT and traditional risk factors.

Study population: The study population will reflect the patient population of UPMC. No individual will be excluded on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

66

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
        • University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with documented coronary artery disease and/or recent acute coronary event who undergo left heart catheterization, and patients with history and previous testing that cannot rule out coronary artery disease and undergo elective left heart catheterization.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals referred for elective left heart catheterization in the past three months or individuals who have undergone recent left heart catheterization for acute coronary syndrome in the past 3 months

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to provided informed consent
  • Pregnancy or of lack confirmed urine or serum B-hcg testing in pre-menopausal women under the age of 50
  • Known allergy to Definity (registered trademark)
  • Contraindications to Definity including permanent or transient right to left or bidirectional cardiac shunts, allergy to perflutren, severe pulmonary hypertension
  • Known cocaine abuse within the past year
  • History of heart transplantation

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Recent Acute Coronary Event
Patients admitted to the hospital for recent STEMI or NSTEMI.
Stable Coronary Artery Disease
Patients with known Coronary Artery Disease without recent acute coronary event.
No Coronary Artery Disease
Patients with no evidence of coronary artery disease, assessed by coronary angiography.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Carotid Artery Adventitial Vaso Vasorum Density
Time Frame: Measured within 1 week of enrollment.
Assessed with ultrasound contrast agent, Definity, from Lantheus Medical Imaging.
Measured within 1 week of enrollment.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Flordeliza Villanueva, MD, University of Pittsburgh

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

May 1, 2009

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

May 1, 2012

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

May 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 13, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 16, 2011

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

September 20, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

July 24, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 20, 2017

Last Verified

July 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CVV-ACE-01

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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