Vulnerable plaque: definition, diagnosis, and treatment.
This article provides a systematic approach to vulnerable plaques. It is divided into 4 sections. The first section is devoted to definition, incidence, anatomic distribution, and clinical presentation. The second section is devoted to plaque composition, setting up the foundations to understand plaque vulnerability. The third section relates to invasive plaque imaging. The fourth section is devoted to therapy, from conservative pharmacologic options to aggressive percutaneous coronary intervention alternatives.
Moreno
Pedro R
PR
Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute and The Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Cardiovascular Health Center, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Box 1030, New York, NY 10029, USA. pedro.moreno@msnyuhealth.org
D017130:Angioplasty; D017546:Angioscopy; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003328:Coronary Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D006801:Humans; D015607:Stents