Usefulness of pre- and post-stent optical frequency domain imaging findings in the prediction of periprocedural cardiac troponin elevation in patients with coronary artery disease

Cholesterol crystals (CCs) are frequently found in high-risk plaques, such as thin-capped fibroatheromas. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations of CCs, plaque morphologies, and post-stent optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI) findings with periprocedural cardiac troponin (cTn) elevation in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study consists of 119 patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) with normal cTn levels who underwent OFDI-guided PCI. Periprocedural cTn elevation was defined as an elevation of cTn ≥ × 5 times the upper reference limit after PCI. Pre- and post-stent OFDI findings, including fibrous cap thickness (FCT), presence of CCs, and parameters for lipid and calcification were analyzed. A total of 37 (31%) patients were classified into the periprocedural cTn elevation group. Compared with lesions without CCs, lesions exhibiting CCs had thinner FCT, larger lipid arc, and longer lipid length, and were more likely to have irregular protrusion and in-stent thrombus (all p