title: CT evaluation of vulnerable plaque: noninvasive fortune-telling?
abstract: Recently, cardiac CTA has been proposed as a promising noninvasive tool for identification of rupture-prone plaques prior to a subsequent coronary event. This task is particularly challenging but the reward is high: identification of high-risk lesions could preclude plaque thrombosis and possibly prevent acute coronary syndromes. We present a case of a borderline mixed plaque with positive remodeling in the proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD). After 6 months and despite aggressive medical therapy, the patient developed acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction caused by a thrombotic lesion in the proximal LAD. We review the literature on CT characteristics of vulnerable plaque and discuss the possible preventive interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Cardiology and Angiology, Institute of Cardiology, ul. Alpejska 42, 04-628 Warsaw, Poland. maxopol@gmail.com
authors.forename: Maksymilian P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Opolski
authors.forename: Cezary
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kepka
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Witkowski
mesh_terms: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D003328:Coronary Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology; D062645:Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents