The unstable plaque

The Unstable Carotid Artery Plaque

Angiographic plaque complexity: the tip of the unstable plaque iceberg.

Coronary plaque rupture is implicated in the pathogenesis of the acute coronary syndromes (1–9). Complex lesion morphology is the angiographic hallmark of these unstable ischemic syndromes, and it correlates with pathologic evidence of plaque rupture (7–9). In this issue of the Journal, Kerensky et al. (10) describe the angiographic patterns of plaque instability in 350 patients with nontransmu...

How to stabilize unstable plaque.

Association studies and epidemiological observations have shown that high plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) provide cardiovascular protection. The anti-atherosclerosis activity of HDL is multifaceted and may include anti-thrombotic, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. However, reverse cholesterol transport through which cholesterol is removed from tissue...

The unstable plaque: a broken balance.

Atherogenesis is traditionally traced to endothelial dysfunction, secondary to the interaction between intravascular factors and the luminal vessel surface. Dyslipidaemia, hypertension, smoking, inflammatory cytokines, and advanced glycation endproducts are thought to negatively modify blood and, consequently, the vascular intima. Ensuing endothelial activation and dysfunction are characterized...

Mouse model of unstable atherosclerotic plaque?

The study reported in this issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology by Rosenfeld et al1 is very important in experimental atherosclerosis for 2 reasons. First, the study shows that there is an available murine model that expresses many features of the human plaque that are very relevant to the pathogenesis of clinically significant disease. Second, the study shows that there ...