Figure 1.

Plaque regression is much faster than most would expect. (A) Soft plaque at the origin of the left external carotid in a 64-year-old man using ezetimibe alone because of myalgia and cramps with statins. His plaque (white arrow) had progressed from 20 mm² 6 months earlier, to 28 mm² after stopping rosuvastatin and taking ezetimibe alone. After restarting rosuvastatin 5 mg daily with ezetimibe 10 mg daily, and CoQ10 200 mg daily to prevent myalgia, the plaque area regressed to 19 mm² over 13 weeks (B). The plaque had also become denser, with regression of the echolucent plaque (reproduced with permission of Elsevier from: Spence JD. Coronary calcium is not all we need: Carotid plaque burden measured by ultrasound is better. Atherosclerosis 2019;287:179-80).