Vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque: from the basic research laboratory to the clinic.

Coronary heart disease is the commonest cause of death in Western countries, and atherosclerotic plaques that are prone to rupture have been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Intensive research has been directed at plaque detection, and various invasive methods have been developed thus far that fulfill this purpose and a lot of them are being applied in the clinical setting. Since invasive methods cannot be used for primary prevention, non-invasive imaging modalities are being studied to enhance the diagnostic armory of clinicians in their difficult task of detecting and preventing ACS.