P6473Impact of myocardial bridging on atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability assessed by OCT

Tissue characterization of atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability by nuclear magnetic resonance.

Developing imaging technologies capable of identifying unstable atheromatous plaques in vivo is a major issue of clinical cardiovascular research. These techniques would permit an earlier surgical or medical therapy and would anticipate acute ischemic syndromes. Plaque vulnerability depends on the relative amount and thickness of its lipid core and fibrous cap. Several means of assessing athero...

Local arterial stiffening assessed by MRI precedes atherosclerotic plaque formation.

BACKGROUND Atherosclerosis is known to impair vascular function and cause vascular stiffening. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential predictive role of vascular stiffening in the early detection of atherosclerosis. Therefore, we investigated the time course of early functional and morphological alterations of the vessel wall in a murine atherosclerosis model. Because initial lesio...

Functional Versus Anatomic Assessment of Myocardial Bridging by Intravascular Ultrasound: Impact of Arterial Compression on Proximal Atherosclerotic Plaque.

BACKGROUND The presence of a myocardial bridge (MB) has been shown to promote atherosclerotic plaque formation proximal to the MB, presumably because of hemodynamic disturbances provoked by retrograde blood flow toward this segment in cardiac systole. We aimed to determine the anatomic and functional properties of an MB related to the extent of atherosclerosis assessed by intravascular ultrasou...

Small entities with large impact: microcalcifications and atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Atherosclerotic plaque rupture and subsequent acute events, such as myocardial infarction and stroke, contribute to the majority of cardiovascular-related deaths. Calcification has emerged as a significant predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, challenging previously held notions that calcifications stabilize atherosclerotic plaques. In this review, we address th...

Visualization of Plaque Neovascularization by OCT