Clinical imaging of the vulnerable plaque in the coronary arteries: new intracoronary diagnostic methods.
Rupture of a vulnerable plaque is the main cause of acute coronary syndromes and myocardial infarction. The features of rupture-prone atherosclerotic plaques have been previously described by pathologists. However, identification of vulnerable plaques in vivo is essential to study their natural history and to evaluate potential treatment modalities. Coronary angiography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, but it is unable to distinguish between stable and unstable plaques and to accurately predict future cardiac events. This current perspective describes the recently developed invasive imaging techniques to detect atherosclerotic vulnerable plaques in the coronary tree.
Saia
Francesco
F
Department of Interventional Cardiology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Thoraxcentre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. francescosaia@hotmail.com
Schaar
Johannes
J
Regar
Evelyn
E
Rodriguez
Gaston
G
De Feyter
Pim J
PJ
Mastik
Frits
F
Marzocchi
Antonio
A
Marrozzini
Cinzia
C
Ortolani
Paolo
P
Palmerini
Tullio
T
Branzi
Angelo
A
van der Steen
Antonius F W
AF
Serruys
Patrick W
PW
D017546:Angioscopy; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004548:Elasticity; D006801:Humans; D013817:Thermography; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional; D014584:User-Computer Interface