Detection of morphological markers of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque using multimodal spectroscopy

Detection of morphological markers of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque using multimodal spectroscopy.

Vulnerable plaques, which are responsible for most acute ischemic events, are presently invisible to x-ray angiography. Their primary morphological features include a thin or ulcerated fibrous cap, a large necrotic core, superficial foam cells, and intraplaque hemorrhage. We present evidence that multimodal spectroscopy (MMS), a novel method that combines diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS),...

Multimodal spectroscopy detects features of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque.

Early detection and treatment of rupture-prone vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques is critical to reducing patient mortality associated with cardiovascular disease. The combination of reflectance, fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy-termed multimodal spectroscopy (MMS)-provides detailed biochemical information about tissue and can detect vulnerable plaque features: thin fibrous cap (TFC), necro...

Vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque detection by resonance Raman spectroscopy.

A clear correlation has been observed between the resonance Raman (RR) spectra of plaques in the aortic tunica intimal wall of a human corpse and three states of plaque evolution: fibrolipid plaques, calcified and ossified plaques, and vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques (VPs). These three states of atherosclerotic plaque lesions demonstrated unique RR molecular fingerprints from key molecules, ...

Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque

Plaque Progression: Often Abrupt, Rarely Predictable Some facts are now certain. First, plaque progression and clinical outcome are not always closely related, and each is poorly predicted by clinical and angiographic variables.1–4 Second, many plaques progress episodically because of episodes of thrombosis triggered by rupture, erosion (denudation), or occasionally endothelial activation or in...

Imaging of the Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque