BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that intensive lipid-lowering therapy using 
statins significantly decreases atheromatous plaque volume. The effect of 
rosuvastatin on plaque volume in patients with stable coronary artery disease 
(CAD), including those receiving prior lipid-lowering therapy, was examined in 
the present study.
METHODS AND RESULTS: A 76-week open-label trial was performed at 37 centers in 
Japan. Eligible patients began treatment with rosuvastatin 2.5 mg/day, which 
could be increased at 4-week intervals to <or=20 mg/day. A total of 214 patients 
underwent intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) at baseline; 126 patients had 
analyzable IVUS images at the end of the study. The change in the serum 
low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level from baseline to end of follow-up was 
-38.6 +/-16.9%, whereas that of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol was +19.8 
+/-22.9% (both P<0.0001). Percent change of plaque volume, the primary endpoint, 
was -5.1 +/-14.1% (P<0.0001).
CONCLUSIONS: Rosuvastatin exerted significant regression of coronary plaque 
volume in Japanese patients with stable CAD, including those who had previously 
used other lipid-lowering drugs. Rosuvastatin might be useful in the setting of 
secondary prevention in patients with stable CAD.