Intraplaque hemorrhage as a stimulator of episodic growth of advanced, but nonsymptomatic atherosclerotic lesions bridging the gap.

Both cross-sectional histological studies of human atherosclerotic specimens and a plethora of studies in animal models have provided the current framework for the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. One major drawback of the current hypotheses is the paucity of longitudinal observations in humans on the natural history of atherosclerosis. Noninvasive imaging studies of human atherosclerosis are able to bridge the gap between cross-sectional pathology observations, animal studies, and longitudinal observations in humans.