Molecular Imaging of Atherosclerosis

Molecular Imaging and Atherosclerosis

Ultrasound molecular imaging of atherosclerosis.

Recent advances in our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of atherosclerosis have created the need for better non-invasive imaging of vascular phenotype. Ultrasound is widely available, inexpensive, and well suited for high-throughput screening in populations that are at risk for atherosclerosis. Novel ultrasonic approaches for the diagnosis of vascular changes in atherosclerosi...

Molecular Imaging of Inflammation in Atherosclerosis

Acute rupture of vulnerable plaques frequently leads to myocardial infarction and stroke. Within the last decades, several cellular and molecular players have been identified that promote atherosclerotic lesion formation, maturation and plaque rupture. It is now widely recognized that inflammation of the vessel wall and distinct leukocyte subsets are involved throughout all phases of atheroscle...

Molecular imaging of atherosclerosis with integrated PET imaging

Atherosclerotic diseases account for nearly half of all deaths and are leading causes of adult disability. Our understanding of how atherosclerosis leads to cardiovascular disease events has evolved: from a concept of progressive luminal narrowing, to that of sudden rupture and thrombosis of biologically active atheroma. In concert with this conceptual shift, contemporary imaging techniques now...

Clinical feasibility of molecular imaging of plaque inflammation in atherosclerosis.

Despite substantial advances in the diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease, acute coronary events continue to occur in many patients. It has been increasingly realized that the lesions responsible for acute events may not necessarily be critically obstructive and hence not be associated with inducible ischemia. Various morphologic features of plaque vulnerability have been describe...