Magnetic resonance Imaging (MRI) can become a very important tool for controlling the levels of cholesterol
According to dr. Binh An P., a cardiologist from the University of Loyola, the results of an intensive treatment with cholesterol medicines, can be observed in the reduced level of cholesterol from the plaque artery- clog.
The basis of the plaque is made from cholesterol, which is why a high level of the latter can lead to atherosclerosis. This disease causes the arteries to block and can eventually lead to strokes and other heart diseases.
MRIs are normally used to see how the cardiovascular condition is evolving and it shows the size of the plaque.
From this discovery, through a more detailed MRI, researchers were able to see the level of cholesterol from the plaque and determine how much it affects the heart condition.
The group of patients for research was comprised of 120 patients who randomly received three types of cholesterol treatments.
The patients have been studied again after a period of three years and the results showed a decrease in the level of cholesterol from the plaque.
The MRI scans performed by the researchers have been made at the carotid arteries level of the neck because these arteries are much closer to the surface of the skin and are more stable than the arteries of the heart. Furthermore, for atherosclerosis patients, the disease occurs in the blood vessels throughout the body, so a representation of the plaque from the carotid artery is the best image that researchers could obtain in order to assess the conclusions of the study.
The conclusion of this research is very important because it can help better observe the way in which cholesterol medicines are working for the patient and it helps doctors come up with more aggressive treatments in case the cholesterol volume did not drop. Furthermore, after more in-depth research, this could lead to a way in which patients could observe themselves their level of cholesterol and keep it under control.
The study was funded by the National Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood and by the company Pfizer Inc. The study has been published in the journal of the "American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging".
