Study Background and Disease Burden
Diabetes mellitus significantly elevates the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and adverse cardiovascular events. Patients with diabetes often present with more diffuse atherosclerosis and vulnerable plaques prone to rupture leading to myocardial infarction (MI). Although percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is well established for flow-limiting lesions causing ischemia, the clinical benefit of preventive PCI targeting non-flow-limiting but vulnerable plaques remains uncertain, especially in diabetic populations. Vulnerable plaques can be identified by intracoronary imaging modalities, yet their optimal management remains unestablished, posing an unmet clinical need to reduce future cardiac events in these high-risk patients.
