The aim of this study was to investigate the association between plasma adiponectin levels and in vivo plaque vulnerability which is reflected by the presence of thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) measured by the combined use of virtual histology intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). A total of 50 men with stable coronary artery disease were included in this study. The analyses were performed by dividing the patients into two groups, patients with TCFA and without TCFA. Results showed that patients with TCFA had lower plasma adiponectin levels and a higher frequency of a past history of acute coronary syndrome than patients without TCFA. A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that low plasma adiponectin levels were the strongest predictive factor of the presence of TCFA. Moreover, patients with multi-vessel TCFA had significantly lower plasma adiponectin levels than those with single-vessel TCFA. These findings suggest that plasma adiponectin levels could be an effective biomarker to stratify patients with stable coronary artery disease into risk categories.
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