title: Imaging of atherosclerosis.
abstract: It is now well recognized that the atherosclerotic plaques responsible for thrombus formation are not necessarily those that impinge most on the lumen of the vessel. Nevertheless, clinical investigations for atherosclerosis still focus on quantifying the degree of stenosis caused by plaques. Many of the features associated with a high-risk plaque, including a thin fibrous cap, large necrotic core, macrophage infiltration, neovascularization, and intraplaque hemorrhage, can now be probed by novel imaging techniques. Each technique has its own strengths and drawbacks. In this article, we review the various imaging modalities used for the evaluation and quantification of atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine and Toxicology, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom. d.owen@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: D R J
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Lindsay
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Choudhury
authors.forename: Z A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Fayad
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18