Influence of carotid atherosclerotic plaques in cerebral infarction patients treated with atorvastatin and clopidogrel

Objective To explore the influence of carotid atherosclerotic plaques in patients with cerebral infarction receiving atorvastatin and clopidogrel. Methods 92 patients with cerebral infarction in recovery period were selectedin this study.The patients were randomly and equally divided into observation group and control group.Patients in the control group were given with clopidogrel based on routine treatment and rehabilitation measures.Patients in the observation group were given with atorvastatin and clopidogrel.All the patients were treated for 6 months.Before and after the treatment, carotid artery lumen diameter(CCAD),the areas of plaque and intima-media thickness(IMT) were tested by carotid artery ultrasound. Hemorheology indexes and recurrence rate within 1 year were also monitored. Results There were no statistical difference between the two groups on plaque area,IMT,CCAD and hemorheology indexes before the treatment(P0.05). After six months of treatment, the values of plaque area and IMT were decreased, and CCAD was increased. Hemorheology indexes(except for platelet aggregation rate and fibrinogen incontrol group) in the control(P0.05) and observation group(P0.01) were improved after the treatment. The degree of improvement on plaque area, IMT, CCAD and hemorheology indexes in the observation group was superior than the control group(P0.05). Total effective rate on plaque therapy in the observation group and control group was 86.96% and 60.87%,respectively. 1 year recurrence ratein the observation group(P0.05) and control group(P0.01) was 6.98% and 15.56%,respectively. Conclusions Combined atorvastatin and clopidogrel can stabilize / improve the patients with cerebral infarction during therecovery period.The treatment can also improve hemorheology indexes and reduce the recurrence rate.