BACKGROUND We investigated the ability of multidetector spiral computed tomography (MDCT) to detect atherosclerotic plaque in nonstenotic coronary arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS In 22 patients without significant coronary stenoses, contrast-enhanced MDCT (0.75-mm collimation, 420-ms rotation) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) of one coronary artery were performed. A total of 83 coronary segm...

Neoangiogenesis and inflammation have a pivotal role in atherosclerosis. Observations support the hypothesis that calcified aortic valve stenosis is an inflammatory process, similar to atherosclerosis in tissue features and risk factors. We studied 2 groups of cases: 47 were affected by hemodynamic atherosclerotic carotid plaque (group 1) and 35 by severe calcified aortic valve stenosis (group ...

This study examined intima-media thickness and arterial plaque occurrence in the carotid and brachial arteries in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. The study compared 25 CAPD patients with 25 normotensive age- and sex-matched controls. Intima-media thickness and presence of plaque in carotid and brachial artery were measured three times using high-resolution B-mode echo...

OBJECTIVE We aimed at evaluating the prevalence and CT characteristics of occult coronary artery disease (CAD) in young Korean adults under 40 years of age by performing coronary CT angiography (CCTA). MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively enrolled 112 consecutive asymptomatic subjects (90 men, mean age: 35.6 +/- 3.7 years) who underwent CCTA as part of a general health evaluation. We clas...

To clarify the potential role of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) in characterizing and prognosticating high-risk coronary plaques. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to compare high-risk vs. low-risk plaques and culprit vs. non-culprit lesions in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) vs. stable angina (SA). High-risk plaques were defined by at least one ...

Coronary artery calcification is a well-established predictor of future cardiac events; however, it is not a predictor of unstable plaque. The intimal calcification of the atherosclerotic plaques may begin with smooth muscle cell apoptosis and release of matrix vesicles and is almost always seen microscopically in pathological intimal thickening, which appears as microcalcification (≥0.5 μm, ty...

AIMS Coronary plaque characteristics are associated with ischaemia. Differences in plaque volumes and composition may explain the discordance between coronary stenosis severity and ischaemia. We evaluated the association between coronary stenosis severity, plaque characteristics, coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA)-derived fractional flow reserve (FFRCT), and lesion-specific ischaemi...

As we known, drug-eluting stents (DES) reduce the risk of restenosis and represent an important advance in coronary intervention. Newer-generation DES with thin struts releasing limus-family drugs from durable or biodegradable polymers have further improved clinical outcomes, as compared with early-generation DES releasing sirolimus or paclitaxel. The risk of stent thrombosis has become exceedi...

BACKGROUND Due to the limited number of experimental studies that mechanically characterise human atherosclerotic plaque tissue from the femoral arteries, a recent trend has emerged in current literature whereby one set of material data based on aortic plaque tissue is employed to numerically represent diseased femoral artery tissue. This study aims to generate novel vessel-appropriate material...