Effect of long-term cholesterol-lowering treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (simvastatin) on myocardial perfusion evaluated by thallium-201 single photon emission computed tomography

Fifteen patients with either angina pectoris or old myocardial infarction, who had positive 201Tl single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging and coronary sclerosis of more than 50%, were treated with an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (simvastatin) for more than 1 year. They were compared with an untreated control group (n = 25). Total cholesterol decreased 22% and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) increased 9% with simvastatin; both changes were significantly different from those in controls. Long-term simvastatin induced improvement of myocardial perfusion on 201Tl SPECT images both during exercise and at rest, which was also significantly different from controls. In addition, the improvement of myocardial perfusion on 201Tl SPECT images was clearly related to the improvements in cholesterol values, especially nonHDL cholesterol. Thus, the greater the decrease in nonHDL cholesterol, the greater the improvement in myocardial perfusion at rest or during exercise with long-term treatment using an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor. These findings indicate that the improvements in cholesterol values caused by HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor therapy are related to improvements of myocardial perfusion seen on 201Tl SPECT images.