Mechanical wall stress and wall shear stress are associated with atherosclerosis development in non-calcified coronary segments

Mechanical wall stress and wall shear stress are associated with atherosclerosis development in non-calcified coronary segments

Tziotziou, Aikaterini (Erasmus MC)
Hartman, Eline (Erasmus MC)
Korteland, Suze Anne (Erasmus MC)
van der Lugt, Aad (Erasmus MC)
van der Steen, A.F.W. (Erasmus MC)
Daemen, Joost (Erasmus MC)
Bos, Daniel (Erasmus MC)
Wentzel, Jolanda (Erasmus MC)
Akyildiz, A.C. (TU Delft Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology; Erasmus MC)

2023

Background and aims: Atherosclerotic plaque onset and progression are known to be affected by local biomechanical factors. While the role of wall shear stress (WSS) has been studied, the impact of another biomechanical factor, namely mechanical wall stress (MWS), remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the association of MWS, independently and combined with WSS, towards atherosclerosis in coronary arteries. Methods: Thirty-four human coronary arteries were analyzed using near-infrared spectroscopy intravascular ultrasound (NIRS-IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) at baseline and after 12 months. Baseline WSS and MWS were calculated using computational models, and wall thickness (ΔWT) and lipid-rich necrotic core size (ΔLRNC) change were measured in non-calcified coronary segments. The arteries were further divided into 1.5 mm/45° sectors and categorized as plaque-free or plaque sectors. For each category, associations between biomechanical factors (WSS & MWS) and changes in coronary wall (ΔWT & ΔLRNC) were studied using linear mixed models. Results: In plaque-free sectors, higher MWS (p < 0.001) was associated with greater vessel wall growth. Plaque sectors demonstrated wall thickness reduction over time, likely due to medical therapy, where higher levels of WSS and WMS, individually and combined, (p < 0.05) were associated with a greater reduction. Sectors with low MWS combined with high WSS demonstrated the highest LRNC increase (p < 0.01). Conclusions: In this study, we investigated the association of the (largely-overlooked) biomechanical factor MWS with coronary atherosclerosis, individually and combined with WSS. Our results demonstrated that both MWS and WSS significantly correlate with atherosclerotic plaque initiation and development.

Atherosclerosis
Coronary
Mechanical stress
NIRS-IVUS and OCT
Shear stress

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:0ffa441d-f8fd-42d6-9884-708183304589

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2023.117387

0021-9150

Atherosclerosis, 387

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2023 Aikaterini Tziotziou, Eline Hartman, Suze Anne Korteland, Aad van der Lugt, A.F.W. van der Steen, Joost Daemen, Daniel Bos, Jolanda Wentzel, A.C. Akyildiz