Effects of atorvastatin calcium on carotid atherosclerosis and the stability of plaques

Objective To investigate the effects of atorvastatin calcium on carotid atherosclerosis and the stability of plaques in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease.Methods One hundred patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease were selected,and they were divided into atorvastatin calcium(20 mg/d)group(treatment group,n=50)and control group(without atorvastatin calcium,n=50).Blood lipids were detected before,and 3,6 months after the treatment.The intima-media thickness(IMT)of bilateral carotid arteries and plaque morphology were evaluated with carotid ultrasound examination.Results ①Low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and triacylglycerol(TG)at 3 months in the treatment group were 3.1±0.8 and 1.1±0.8 mmol/L,respectively.As compared with the control group(3.4±0.8 and 1.7±0.7 mmol/L)at the same time point,there were significant differences(P0.05,P0.01);Total cholesterol(TC),LDL-L,high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)and TG at 6 months in the treatment group were 4.3±0.9,3.0±0.5,1.11±0.23 and 1.1±0.9,respectively.As compared with the control group at the same time point,there were significant differences(P0.05).②The ITM in the treatment and control groups at 6 month were 1.0±0.4 and 1.1±0.2,respectively.Crouse integrals in plaque were 1.0±0.6 and 1.1±0.5,respectively.There were significant differences between the 2 groups(P0.05).Conclusion Atorvastatin calcium may play a lipid-reducing effect in a short term,it can reduce the severity of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease,and stabilize the plaques simultaneously.