• The term atherosclerosis is derived from the Greek "athero," meaning gruel, or wax, corresponding to the necrotic core area at the base of the atherosclerotic plaque, and "sclerosis" for hardening, or induration, referring to the fibrous cap of the plaque's luminal edge. (medscape.com)
  • The etiology of atherosclerosis is unknown, but there are multiple factors that contribute to atherosclerotic plaque progression. (medscape.com)
  • To date, the pathophysiology of these events is poorly understood but clinical data suggest that new generation TKIs might accelerate atherosclerosis and induce plaque rupture. (unamur.be)
  • But the takeaway is that exercise probably leads to a shift in atherosclerosis towards plaque stabilization that likely leads to less cardiovascular outcomes in the long run. (mcgill.ca)
  • The buildup of these plaques is called atherosclerosis (ath-ur-o-skluh-ROE-sis). (mayoclinic.org)
  • Chronic inflammation is important to heart health because it plays a pivotal role in the development of atherosclerosis - the buildup of fatty, cholesterol-rich plaque inside the arteries. (harvard.edu)
  • Chronic inflammation is a primary cause of atherosclerosis by damaging the cells lining the blood vessels and progressively worsening plaques. (msu.edu)
  • This is caused by atherosclerosis, a condition that leads to the narrowing of the arteries through plaque buildup. (canada.ca)
  • 7][8][9] Notably, this attractive black-and-white concept of T H 1 and T H 2 responses controlling the development of atherosclerosis may not be true at all stages of plaque development. (researchgate.net)
  • The plaques that develop in atherosclerosis can rupture, causing a blood clot. (sparrow.org)
  • Conclusions: These data show that osteomodulin mRNA and protein levels are associated with plaque calcification in human atherosclerosis. (lu.se)
  • In atherosclerosis, fat accumulates in the arterial walls creating atherosclerotic plaques. (lu.se)
  • In addition to atherosclerosis, there can be plaque rupture and thrombotic occlusion of the blood vessel. (medscape.com)
  • Infiltration of microvessels into the media, intima, and plaques originates primarily from proliferating vasa vasorum (the microvessels supplying the major arteries). (hindawi.com)
  • A: Gross photograph of a coronary artery cut in cross-section showing the site of a plaque rupture (arrow) with an underlying necrotic core (NC) and luminal thrombus (Th). (medscape.com)
  • B: Histologic section of the artery seen in Image A showing rupture site, necrotic core, and luminal thrombus (Movat, ×20). (medscape.com)
  • The hypothesis of the initiating process starting in the wall of the artery and the injury healing cycle in a vulnerable site providing the ongoing stimulus that perpetuates the formation of the atherosclerotic plaques deserves investigation. (hindawi.com)
  • A vulnerable plaque is a kind of atheromatous plaque - a collection of white blood cells (primarily macrophages) and lipids (including cholesterol) in the wall of an artery - that is particularly unstable and prone to produce sudden major problems such as a heart attack or stroke. (wikipedia.org)
  • However, a repeated atheroma rupture and healing is one of the mechanisms, perhaps the dominant one, that creates artery stenosis. (wikipedia.org)
  • Mechanical stretching and contraction of the artery, with each heart beat, i.e. the pulse, results in rupture of the thin covering membrane, spewing clot-promoting plaque contents into the blood stream. (wikipedia.org)
  • A heart attack is a sudden event when an unstable or vulnerable plaque ruptures suddenly and blocks an artery. (mcgill.ca)
  • If a plaque becomes unstable, a blood clot can form, suddenly blocking an artery. (webmd.com)
  • Upon disruption of the atherosclerotic plaque, the highly trombogenic plaque content is exposed to the circulating blood leading to thrombus formation and subsequent occlusion of the artery. (europa.eu)
  • When plaque rupture occurs f.e. in a coronary artery this will lead to a myocardial infarction often followed by death. (europa.eu)
  • Coronary artery disease can cause plaque to build up inside the walls of the coronary arteries. (cigna.com)
  • This plaque buildup may narrow the artery and reduce the blood flow to the heart muscle. (cigna.com)
  • The pressure from the inflated balloon presses the plaque against the wall of the artery, creating more room for blood to flow. (cigna.com)
  • Cholesterol deposits (plaques) in the heart arteries are usually the cause of coronary artery disease. (mayoclinic.org)
  • It is recommended that in aircrew with non-obstructive coronary artery disease or obstructive coronary artery disease not deemed haemodynamically significant, nor meeting the criteria for excessive burden (based on plaque morphology and aggregate stenosis), a return to flying duties may be possible, although with restrictions. (bmj.com)
  • Over time, excess LDL adheres to artery walls, building up fatty deposits that harden into plaques. (forksoverknives.com)
  • Another type of stroke may occur when a blood clot or a piece of atherosclerotic plaque (cholesterol and calcium deposits on the wall of the inside of the heart or artery) breaks loose, travels through the bloodstream, and lodges in an artery in the brain. (medicinenet.com)
  • An embolism, either plaque or clot, may also originate in a large artery (for example, the carotid artery, a major artery in the neck that supplies blood to the brain) and then travel downstream to clog a small artery within the brain. (medicinenet.com)
  • Acute coronary syndrome -- acute symptoms of serious heart disease -- is usually caused by the rupture of a plaque in a heart artery. (cbsnews.com)
  • Plaques made up mostly of cholesterol build up on your artery walls and restrict blood flow. (sparrow.org)
  • Given the Captain's previously unidentified coronary artery disease (CAD), NIOSH investigators concluded that the physical stress of the training probably triggered a coronary artery plaque rupture. (cdc.gov)
  • The rupture likely caused a blood clot that occluded his coronary artery, causing a fatal heart attack. (cdc.gov)
  • The formation of atheromatous plaques in the carotid artery - also called calcified carotid atheromatous plaques (CCAP) - is not a simple and inevitable degenerative process resulting from advanced age, but rather a chronic inflammatory disease that can develop into an acute clinical condition owing to plaque rupture, rendering the patient susceptible to thromboembolism or stroke 2 . (bvsalud.org)
  • Plaque rupture is defined as a lesion consisting of a lipid-rich necrotic core with an overlying thin, ruptured, fibrous cap heavily infiltrated by macrophages and T lymphocytes (see the image below). (medscape.com)
  • Although the precise mechanisms of plaque rupture are poorly understood, most researchers agree that disruption of a fibrous cap rich in macrophages and T lymphocytes in addition to the necrotic core coming in contact with circulating blood are events that lead to the development of thrombi in fatal plaques. (medscape.com)
  • The stability of atherosclerotic plaque correlates to the thickness of its fibrous cap. (unamur.be)
  • Fibrous cap thickness is often considered as diagnostic of the degree of plaque instability. (johnshopkins.edu)
  • This study demonstrates that plaque instability is to be viewed not as a consequence of fibrous cap thickness alone but rather as a combination of cap thickness, necrotic core thickness, and the arterial remodeling index. (johnshopkins.edu)
  • The defining characteristics of a vulnerable plaque include but are not limited to: a thin fibrous cap, large lipid-rich necrotic core, increased plaque inflammation, positive vascular remodeling, increased vasa-vasorum neovascularization, and intra-plaque hemorrhage. (wikipedia.org)
  • These characteristics together with the usual hemodynamic pulsating expansion during systole and elastic recoil contraction during diastole contribute to a high mechanical stress zone on the fibrous cap of the atheroma, making it prone to rupture. (wikipedia.org)
  • Results: The plaque rupture was just distal to the site of maximum stenosis in a region of low WSS, where MRI and histology both demonstrated fibrous cap thinning, a large lipid pool and calcification in the shoulder region. (houstonmethodist.org)
  • [ 1 ] Atherosclerotic plaque rupture with thrombosis is the pathologic mechanism responsible for the majority of acute myocardial infarctions (AMI) and sudden coronary death (SCD). (medscape.com)
  • In this brief article, we will discuss the pathology of coronary thrombosis, with emphasis on plaque rupture and its hypothesized precursor lesion, the thin cap fibroatheroma (TCFA). (medscape.com)
  • Sudden luminal thrombosis may arise from three different plaque morphologies: plaque rupture, erosion, and calcified nodule. (medscape.com)
  • IL-15Rα was significantly elevated in patients presenting both with stable angina and ACS.IL-15Rα was also elevated prior to plaque rupture and thrombosis in patients with unstable angina. (rcsi.com)
  • The earliest pathologic descriptions of atherosclerotic lesions focused on morphologies of fatty streaks to fibroatheromas (FAs) and advanced plaques complicated by hemorrhage, calcification, ulceration, and thrombosis. (medscape.com)
  • and type VI, complicated plaques with surface defects, and/or hematoma-hemorrhage, and/or thrombosis. (medscape.com)
  • A modified version of the AHA classification was developed by our laboratory to include important pathologic lesions responsible for luminal thrombosis other than plaque rupture, such as plaque erosion and calcified nodule. (medscape.com)
  • Lesion reference to AHA types V and VI was discarded, because it failed to account for the 3 different morphologies (rupture, erosion, and calcified nodule) that give rise to acute coronary thrombosis. (medscape.com)
  • 2 Badimon L, Vilahur G. Thrombosis formation on atherosclerotic lesions and plaque rupture. (thieme-connect.com)
  • Intracoronary imaging can be helpful to detect plaque rupture or erosion and intracoronary thrombus, but could also lead to better stent implantation, and help to reduce the risk of stent thrombosis. (em-consulte.com)
  • It is assessing whether the positron emission tomography (PET) tracer 18F-sodium fluoride is as a marker of coronary plaque vulnerability and can detect culprit and non-culprit unstable coronary plaques in patients with recent myocardial infarction. (ed.ac.uk)
  • Determining those patients at high risk of plaque rupture the squeal of which is ischemia and myocardial necrosis continues to be clinically challenging. (rcsi.com)
  • Current clinical pathways identify those who have undergone plaque rupture utilizing cardiac troponins and electrocardiogram changes but this confirms plaque rupture after myocardial injury. (rcsi.com)
  • Intensive exercise may lead to plaque rupture in athletes at risk, followed by myocardial infarction and malignant arrhythmias. (uni-saarland.de)
  • Plaques that rupture can cause a stroke or myocardial infarction, and it is important to identify dangerous plaques as early as possible to prevent serious complications. (lu.se)
  • Necrotic core area (Core area ) and the arterial remodeling index (Remod index ), on the other hand, are difficult to use as clinical morphological indexes: literature data show a wide dispersion of Core area thresholds above which plaque becomes unstable. (johnshopkins.edu)
  • The aim of this study was to investigate the change in plaque vulnerability as a function of necrotic core size and plaque morphology. (johnshopkins.edu)
  • It was found that: 1) at the early stages of positive remodeling, lesions were more prone to rupture, which could explain the progression and growth of clinically silent plaques and 2) in addition to cap thickness, necrotic core thickness, rather than area, was critical in determining plaque stability. (johnshopkins.edu)
  • [ 2 ] The hypothesized precursor lesion associated with plaque rupture has been termed "thin cap fibroatheroma" (TCFA), also known as "vulnerable plaque. (medscape.com)
  • It is now recognized that the preexisting thin cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) (vulnerable plaque) in approximately 50% of patients dying from sudden thrombotic occlusion occurs as a hemodynamically insignificant lesion. (medscape.com)
  • Researchers have found that accumulation of white blood cells, especially macrophages, termed inflammation, in the walls of the arteries leads to the development of "soft" or vulnerable plaque, which when released aggressively promotes blood clotting. (wikipedia.org)
  • When this inflammation is combined with other stresses, such as high blood pressure (increased mechanical stretching and contraction of the arteries with each heart beat), it can cause the thin covering over the plaque to split, spilling the contents of the vulnerable plaque into the bloodstream. (wikipedia.org)
  • Plaque vulnerability analysis indicated critically vulnerable plaque at the rupture site by a wide margin. (houstonmethodist.org)
  • Next to this approach, we will screen for proteins that differ between for proteins that differ between patients that had a cardiovascular event and control patients, an approach that can redefine the definition of the vulnerable plaque (Objective 2). (europa.eu)
  • It is now well-established that from early lesion to vulnerable plaque formation, numerous cellular and molecular inflammatory components participate in the disease process. (researchgate.net)
  • LDH assay indicate increased cell death with high-dose (2textmuM) nilotinib, and decreased cell death with dasatinib (0.5textmuM).MMP-2 and MMP-9 are 2 MMPs highly involved in atherosclerotic plaque rupture by degrading collagen, a major component of the extracellular matrix. (unamur.be)
  • 18F-Fluoride positron emission tomography identifies ruptured and high-risk coronary atherosclerotic plaques. (ed.ac.uk)
  • v) APP and Aβ are present in human carotid plaques ( 15 ). (spandidos-publications.com)
  • In the present study, we analyzed osteomodulin expression in human carotid plaques, its link with plaque phenotype, calcification, and future cardiovascular events. (lu.se)
  • In contrast, our study demonstrates that autofluorescence in the NIR range uniquely characterizes atherosclerotic plaques with intraplaque hemorrhage and may allow classification of atherosclerotic plaques into lesions of low or high risk for future cardiovascular events. (nature.com)
  • Intracoronary imaging can help to detect plaque rupture/erosion and intracoronary thrombus. (em-consulte.com)
  • We previously identified a number of proteins in an Apolipoprotien B mouse model that were present at significantly higher or lower levels in the serum prior to plaque rupture and thus were predictive of a higher risk of plaque rupture in mice. (rcsi.com)
  • It is now believed that circulating monocytes as well as plaque macrophages support the development of acute thrombi in unstable coronary plaques. (medscape.com)
  • Here we show that near-infrared autofluorescence is associated with the presence of intraplaque hemorrhage and heme degradation products, particularly bilirubin by using our recently created mouse model, which uniquely reflects plaque instability as seen in humans, and human carotid endarterectomy samples. (nature.com)
  • Fluorescence emission computed tomography detecting near-infrared autofluorescence allows in vivo monitoring of intraplaque hemorrhage, establishing a preclinical technology to assess and monitor plaque instability and thereby test potential plaque-stabilizing drugs. (nature.com)
  • We suggest that near-infrared autofluorescence imaging is a novel technology that allows identification of atherosclerotic plaques with intraplaque hemorrhage and ultimately holds promise for detection of high-risk plaques in patients. (nature.com)
  • Besides establishing fluorescence emission tomography (FLECT) as a preclinical tool for the detection of plaques with intraplaque hemorrhage and its potential use in testing and monitoring of plaque-stabilizing drugs, our report has the potential to support technical developments for imaging technologies that will ultimately allow to risk stratify atherosclerotic plaques in patients and, in particular, to identify plaques that are prone to cause cardiovascular events. (nature.com)
  • A cerebral hemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds into the surrounding brain tissue. (medicinenet.com)
  • The primary goal for these patients is to prevent plaque rupture and its associated morbidity and mortality. (nih.gov)
  • Identifying factors of plaque stability is necessary to design drugs to prevent plaque rupture and symptoms. (lu.se)
  • When it does, a blood clot can form on the plaque, blocking the flow of blood. (cdc.gov)
  • The plaque is also unstable and can suddenly rupture and cause a blood clot. (medlineplus.gov)
  • Several factors, including wall shear stress (WSS), plaque morphology and peak cap stress, have been associated with plaque vulnerability. (houstonmethodist.org)
  • A stress-based plaque vulnerability index (SPVI) was proposed to combine mechanical analysis, plaque morphology and composition for more complete carotid plaque vulnerability assessment. (techscience.com)
  • It is well-known that an inflammatory process occurs within the arterial wall at the site of a developing plaque [ 9 - 11 ], and the mechanism of injury to the intima and lipid infiltration of the media is the accepted atherogenic pathway, which is considered reactive to the atheroma. (hindawi.com)
  • The development of plaque and its rupture are hallmarks of atherosclerotic vascular disease. (medscape.com)
  • This paper provides an overview of the normal anatomy of vasa vasorum and potential mechanism of plaque formation due to vascular injury (vasa vasorum) and microhemorrhage. (hindawi.com)
  • Vascular atherosclerotic plaque remodelling leading to rupture is responsible for about half of the total deaths in the European Union. (europa.eu)
  • 2,6 More refined analysis of local vascular inflammation and the cytokines expressed in atherosclerotic plaques revealed that there is a balance between pro-inflammatory and anti- inflammatory cytokines and that this balance is crucial for lesion development ( Figure 2A). (researchgate.net)
  • During plaque development many proangiogenic pathways are reactivated and this leads to formation of immature blood vessels prone to rupture [ 7 ]. (hindawi.com)
  • GPVI-Fc, a recombinant dimeric fusion protein binding to plaque collagen and concealing binding sites for platelet GPVI, acts as a lesion-focused antiplatelet drug, and does not increase bleeding in vivo. (thieme-connect.com)
  • Background: Stable atherosclerotic plaques are characterized by thick fibrous caps of smooth muscle cells, collagen, and macrocalcifications. (lu.se)
  • Investigators continue to pursue the use of newer imaging techniques (eg, molecular imaging) in an attempt to noninvasively and earlier identify vulnerable plaques from their stable or quiescent counterparts. (medscape.com)
  • In approximately 50-60% of sudden coronary death cases, the culprit lesion exhibits an acute coronary thrombus, whereas the remainder of these cases include stable coronary plaques with greater than 75% cross-sectional area luminal narrowing. (medscape.com)
  • The onset of symptoms and life-threatening complications therefore depend not only on the severity of narrowing in stable chronic anatomic disease but also on critical dynamic morphologicchanges in coronary plaque in the arterial wall. (medscape.com)
  • Some plaques remain quiescent and stable for years and others become unstable and vulnerable, ultimately leading to plaque rupture. (nature.com)
  • This combination will use the classical approach to screen for proteins that differ between stable fibrous and unstable inflammatory plaques and between stable and ruptured plaque (Objective 1). (europa.eu)
  • Your body perceives this plaque as foreign, so it initiates an inflammatory response to contain the damage. (harvard.edu)
  • McMacken notes that saturated fats raise HDL levels but have also been shown to render HDL more inflammatory and likely to promote plaque buildup. (forksoverknives.com)
  • These complications are caused by thrombotic arterial occlusion localized at the site of high-risk atherosclerotic plaques, of which early detection and therapeutic stabilization are urgently needed. (nature.com)
  • Methods: A 74-year-old male presenting with a transient ischemic attack underwent carotid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which indicated a ruptured plaque, followed by carotid endarterectomy, from which plaque histology was assessed. (houstonmethodist.org)
  • Since appropriate animal models for plaque rupture are lacking, we use as a starting point a large number (~600) of well characterized carotid endarterectomy specimen from patients that are well documented and undergo a follow up. (europa.eu)
  • As we age, plaque accumulates in our arteries and the arterial walls start to calcify. (mcgill.ca)
  • This can lead to plaque instability and risk for rupture followed by thrombus. (inova.org)
  • There is evidence that flow shear stress arises from disturbed flow from protruding plaque with vacuolation and turbulence that cause further intimal disruption, and this has been suggested as a mechanism for excess blood lipids to fuel deposition into plaques from the lumen of the vessel. (hindawi.com)
  • As plaque builds up in the arteries of a person with heart disease, the inside of the arteries begins to narrow, which lessens or blocks the flow of blood. (cdc.gov)
  • In some regions of increased macrophage activity, macrophage-induced-enzymes erode away the fibrous membrane beneath the endothelium so that the cover separating the plaque from blood flow in the lumen becomes thin and fragile. (wikipedia.org)
  • The clotting system reacts and forms clots both on the particles shed into the blood stream and locally over the rupture. (wikipedia.org)
  • This potent herb contains a variety of nutrients and antioxidants, which work together to lower blood pressure, strengthen blood vessels, and prevent the build-up of plaque in the arteries. (vitanetonline.com)
  • This plaque can harden and could cause the vessel to rupture, leading to the formation of blood clots. (canada.ca)
  • The blood originates from an abnormal blood vessel that leaks or ruptures. (medicinenet.com)
  • With the help of the technique, it is possible to carry out detailed examinations of atherosclerotic plaques in the blood vessels of the neck. (lu.se)
  • The most common cause of death and the most disabling illness worldwide is plaque in the blood vessels which, if they rupture, can lead to a heart attack or a stroke", says Isabel Gonçalves, Professor in cardiologist at the Clinical Research Centre in Malmö. (lu.se)
  • Plaque occurs when fat accumulates on the walls of blood vessels. (lu.se)
  • In this state, the plaque can exist in the blood vessel without causing any symptoms. (lu.se)
  • In addition to the plaque, blood samples and various types of images of the plaque, before it was removed through surgery, have been taken from each patient. (lu.se)
  • Harmful plaque could then be detected with a simple blood test. (lu.se)
  • I was complaining about the fact that I wasn't able to give answers to my patients who were desperately wondering how long they had been walking around with plaques in their blood vessels without knowing it", she says. (lu.se)
  • The mechanisms of plaque remodelling leading to destabilization and rupture are poorly understood. (europa.eu)
  • Human atheromatous plaques stimulate thrombus formation by activating platelet glycoprotein VI. (thieme-connect.com)
  • In other words, if we can determine how to prevent the formation of plaque, it pays off to start early! (lu.se)
  • Impact of biomechanical factors on prediction of coronary plaque rupture location. (insa-lyon.fr)
  • Gross photograph and composition of plaque rupture. (medscape.com)
  • OMD was positively associated with MSX2 (Msh Homeobox 2) (r=0.32, P=0.003), a marker of preosteoblast differentiation, BMP4 (bone morphogenetic protein) (r=0.50, P=0.000002) and BMP6 (r=0.47, P=0.000007), plaque calcification (r=0.35, P=0.016), and was strongly upregulated in osteogenically stimulated smooth muscle cells, which was further increased upon BMP stimulation. (lu.se)
  • Osteomodulin protein levels were associated with plaque calcification (r=0.41, P=0.006) and increased in macrocalcified plaques. (lu.se)
  • In ACS patients Galectin 3 was significantly elevated prior to plaque rupture and correlated with the duration of symptoms. (rcsi.com)
  • This correlated strongly with the duration of symptoms suggesting its utility as a marker of unstable plaque. (rcsi.com)
  • Most ruptures and clotting events are too small to produce symptoms, though they still produce heart muscle damage, a slow progressive process resulting in ischemic heart disease, the most common basis for congestive heart failure. (wikipedia.org)
  • n=82) was determined by RNA sequencing and osteomodulin protein levels by immunohistochemistry (n=45) in carotid plaques obtained by endarterectomy from patients with or without cerebrovascular symptoms from the CPIP (Carotid Plaque Imaging Project) cohort, Skåne University Hospital, Sweden. (lu.se)
  • The development of a method to reliably identify high-risk atherosclerotic plaques is seen as one of the major quests of contemporary cardiovascular medicine. (nature.com)
  • Diabetes researcher and cardiologist Isabel Goncalves at LUDC is collaborating with ultrasound researchers Tobias Erlöv and Magnus Cinthio at the Faculty of Engineering at Lund University to develop methods that can help identify people who are at risk of developing a stroke because of dangerous plaques. (lu.se)
  • Plaque vulnerability was assessed using a biomechanical method based on modified Glagov criteria. (houstonmethodist.org)
  • Conclusions: Both low and high WSS have been associated with plaque vulnerability, and high mechanical stress in the cap has been linked to plaque rupture, but these parameters are not routinely assessed clinically. (houstonmethodist.org)
  • Assessment of plaque vulnerability is of fundamental significance to cardiovascular research and disease diagnosis, prevention, treatment and management. (techscience.com)
  • SPVI has the potential to improve the current image-based screening and plaque vulnerability assessment schemes. (techscience.com)