The Effect of Atorvastatin and Pioglitazone on Carotid Atherosclerosis With the Use of Positron Emission Tomography-computed Tomography (PET-CT)

Evaluation of the Effect of Atorvastatin and Pioglitazone in Carotid Atherosclerosis With the Use of 18Fluoride-Fludeoxyglucose(FDG) Positron Emission Tomography-computed Tomography (PET-CT)Imaging

This study is a prospective randomized clinical trial and to compare the antiinflammatory effect of atorvastatin single therapy and atorvastatin and pioglitazone combination therapy in carotid arteries of stable and unstable angina patients by PET/CT.

Inclusion Criteria:

• The subject who has undergone percutaneous coronary intervention due to coronary artery disease ( stable angina or unstable angina)
• The subject described above who has atherosclerotic plaque in his/her carotid artery by carotid ultrasonography
• The subject who or a legal representative agrees to the clinical trial and gives written permission to the IRB-approved form.

Exclusion Criteria:

• The subjets who have taken statins or thiazolidinedione with 4 weeks
• Marked elevated liver enzyme ( more than 2.5 fold compared to reference range)
• Renal insufficiency patients ( serum creatinine more than 2 mg/dl)
• Congestive heart failure ( NYHA class 2-4)
• Acue myocardial infarction
• Unstable angina with ST segment deviation
• Pregnancy
• The subjects enrolled in another studies