Gender differences in coronary plaque components in patients with acute coronary syndrome: Virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound analysis

Summary Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the gender differences in plaque components in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. Methods We used virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound to evaluate the plaque components in culprit lesions in 362 ACS patients (254 men, 108 women). Results Women were more likely to be diabetic (34% vs 23%, p = 0.030), had greater percentage necrotic core (%NC) volume (19.0 ± 12.7% vs 16.8 ± 11.9%, p = 0.040), and had trends toward higher high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (0.85 ± 1.28 mg/dl vs 0.53 ± 0.48 mg/dl, p = 0.063), and higher incidence of thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) (62% vs 52%, p = 0.078) compared with men. %NC volume was significantly greater in diabetic patients compared with nondiabetic patients (20.4 ± 10.2% vs 16.0 ± 8.9%, p < 0.001) and was significantly greater in patients with elevated hs-CRP (≥0.2 mg/dl) compared with those with normal hs-CRP (