title: Pathology of atherosclerosis and stenting.
abstract: Atherosclerotic plaque at the carotid bifurcation is the primary cause of ischemic strokes and the degree of carotid stenosis is strongly associated with stroke risk in symptomatic patients. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the United States, constituting approximately 700,000 cases each year. In this article, the authors discuss the natural history of carotid and intracranial atherosclerosis, based on their broader knowledge of coronary atherosclerosis. Early to more advanced progressive lesions of the carotid are categorized, based on descriptive morphologic events originally cited for the coronary circulation. The histologic features associated with symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid disease are also addressed, along with the issues surrounding current stent-based therapies for the prevention of major recurrent vascular events.
authors.affiliation: CVPath Institute, Incorporated, 19 Firstfield Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.
authors.forename: Frank D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Kolodgie
authors.forename: Gaku
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sangiorgi
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ladich
authors.forename: Allen P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: Renu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Virmani
mesh_terms: D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D015607:Stents