Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major contributor to coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. Risk stratification of patients with diabetes is very important to plan the management and to follow the clinical status of those patients over time. This can be done non-invasively using multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) coronary angiography.
Objective: To evaluate the differences in the extent and composition of coronary plaques in diabetic patients type ll and non-diabetic patients using MSCT coronary angiography.
Patients and methods: Eighty patients were involved in our prospective study, and divided into two equal groups: Group 1 contained diabetic patients, and Group 2 contained non-diabetic patients. Those patients are matched in age, sex, and other risk factors presented with chest pain and referred for multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) angiography at the National Heart Institute during the period from November 2019 to August 2020.
Results: Diabetic patients were associated with a significantly higher coronary plaque burden and more obstructive plaques. Also, significantly more non-calcified plaques in combination with less mixed plaques were observed in patients with diabetes. However, there was no significant difference in number of calcified plaques between diabetic and non-diabetic patients.
Conclusion: MSCT can be used effectively for risk stratification of patients with diabetes. It may be useful in detecting lipid plaques that are at high risk for rupture leading to myocardial infarction.