Global Healthcare Study of Coronary Artery Disease Reaches Significant Milestone

A major milestone has been reached in the Lipid-Rich Plaque (LRP) study, a prospective, multicenter clinical trial with the potential to reveal breakthrough correlations between Lipid-Rich Plaques and occurrence of heart attacks.

The LPR study has now enrolled 1,000 patients, and aims to identify a correlation between lipid-rich plaques and the occurrence of a cardiac event within two years.

The equipment used in the study to assess vessel structure and plaque composition is the TVC Imaging System, made by Infraredx (Burlington, MA, USA), an intravascular imaging equipment manufacturer. The TVC Imaging System can identify lipid-core plaques, and help researchers develop Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) as a means to prevent heart attacks.

The study uses a dual-modality intravascular imaging system that integrates Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) and Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) technology, allowing clinicians to assess vessel structure and plaque composition. The goal of the study is to prove that vulnerable plaques can be identified by NIRS and provide a target for personalized therapy to prevent coronary events.

Ron Waksman, MD, principal investigator of the LRP Study, said, “With 1,000 patients enrolled at forty-one investigator sites across the United States and Europe, we are excited by the rapid progress of the LRP Study. Once complete, the LRP Study data could redefine the role of intravascular imaging and lay the groundwork for changing standard protocols for managing coronary artery disease.”

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