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Clinical Trial
. 2011 Dec;42(12):3460-4.
doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.111.625418. Epub 2011 Sep 8.

Short-term effect of atorvastatin on carotid artery elasticity: a pilot study

Elizabeth V Ratchford  1 , Jose Gutierrez, Dalia Lorenzo, Mark S McClendon, David Della-Morte, Janet T DeRosa, Mitchell S V Elkind, Ralph L Sacco, Tatjana Rundek
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Short-term effect of atorvastatin on carotid artery elasticity: a pilot study

Elizabeth V Ratchford et al. Stroke. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Few studies have examined the early effects of statins on carotid artery elasticity, a potential surrogate marker of cardiovascular risk. This study examined the short-term effects of atorvastatin 80 mg daily on carotid elasticity measured by high-resolution B-mode ultrasound.

Methods: The study included 40 stroke-free and statin-naive subjects older than age 45 (mean age, 70±7 years; 55% men; 64% Caribbean-Hispanic). Outcome measures included carotid stiffness indices at 14 and 30 days after initiation of treatment. The systolic and diastolic diameters of the right common carotid artery were averaged from multiple B-mode imaging frames. Absolute and relative changes of strain [(systolic diameter-diastolic diameter)/diastolic diameter], stiffness (β) [ln (systolic/diastolic blood pressure)/strain], and distensibility (1/β adjusted for wall thickness) from baseline were compared by the repeated measures t test and were considered significant at α=0.05.

Results: Baseline mean stiffness was 0.08 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06-0.10). It significantly decreased at day 30 to 0.05 (CI, 0.04-0.06; P<0.01). Mean baseline distensibility was 15.25 (CI, 13.18-17.32), increasing significantly at day 30 to 17.23 (CI, 14.01-20.45; P<0.05). An improvement in distensibility of ≥10% from baseline was observed in 29 (73%) subjects. Changes in stiffness and distensibility were maximal among subjects with baseline low-density lipoprotein levels<130 mg/dL.

Conclusions: Short-term treatment with high-dose atorvastatin was associated with improvement in the carotid elasticity metrics. Carotid artery elasticity measured by B-mode ultrasound is a simple noninvasive measure of arterial wall function and may be a useful surrogate end point in clinical trials targeting individuals at increased risk for atherosclerosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean carotid artery stiffness and 95% confidence intervals at Baseline, Day 14, and Day 30 of atorvastatin treatment (Baseline vs. Day 30, t test, p<0.01)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean carotid artery distensibility and 95% confidence intervals at Baseline, Day 14, and Day 30 of atorvastatin treatment (Baseline vs. Day 30, t test, p<0.05)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Changes in carotid stiffness (improvement of 10% or more from baseline) by the LDL levels
Figure 4
Figure 4
Changes in carotid distensibility (improvement of 10% or more from baseline) by the LDL levels
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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