AHRQ examines vulnerable plaque
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
More information is needed on whether medical therapy would change in patients who are not yet indicated for cardiovascular drugs such as statins but are found to have vulnerable plaque when screened using either a biomarker or an imaging procedure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality says in an August 2010 technical brief. According to the report, "once the incremental predictive utility of detecting a vulnerable plaque is established, it will have to be demonstrated that certain treatments (novel or currently in use) in patients who would otherwise not have been candidates will indeed improve outcomes." Very few primary studies found through ARHQ's systematic review of research literature were conducted in patients without a known history of cardiovascular disease. The report notes that InfraReDx's LipiScan near-infrared imaging system has been cleared by FDA to detect lipid-core containing plaques. CMS recently denied the firm's request for a new-technology add-on payment for the device, saying there is insufficient evidence that patients scanned with the technology have better clinical outcomes (1"The Gray Sheet" Aug. 9, 2010)