Atherosclerotic Plaque Biomarkers: Beyond the Horizon of the Vulnerable Plaque

Atherosclerotic Plaque Biomarkers: Beyond the Horizon of the Vulnerable Plaque

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death globally, and the majority of CVD is caused by atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a systemic inflammatory disease that leads to myocardial infarction, stroke and lower limb ischemia. Pathological studies have given insight to development of atherosclerosis and the importance of local plaque vulnerability, leading to thrombus formati...

Biomarkers for diagnosis of the vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, accounting for more than 19 million deaths per year [1]. Atherosclerotic patients present with a significant overlapping of vascular disorders implicating peripheral arterial disease (PAD), coronary heart disease and carotid arterial disease and cerebral disease. Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease a...

Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque

Plaque Progression: Often Abrupt, Rarely Predictable Some facts are now certain. First, plaque progression and clinical outcome are not always closely related, and each is poorly predicted by clinical and angiographic variables.1–4 Second, many plaques progress episodically because of episodes of thrombosis triggered by rupture, erosion (denudation), or occasionally endothelial activation or in...

Imaging of the Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque

Ultrasound Tissue Characterization of Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque

A thrombotic occlusion of the vessel fed by ruptured coronary atherosclerotic plaque may result in unstable angina, myocardial infarction or death, whereas embolization from a plaque in carotid arteries may result in transient ischemic attack or stroke. The atherosclerotic plaque prone to such clinical events is termed high-risk or vulnerable plaque, and its identification in humans before it b...