Background. Recent intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) studies have demonstrated that hypoechoic plaque with deep ultrasound attenuation despite absence of bright calcium is common in acute coronary syndrome. Such "attenuated plaque" may be an IVUS characteristic of unstable lesion. Methods. We used optical coherence tomography (OCT) in 104 patients with unstable angina to compare lesion characteri...

Dental researchers have attempted to understand the microbial nature of oral diseases over the past 120 years. Their view of plaque and its constituent microorganisms has shifted from a specific plaque hypothesis to a non-specific plaque hypothesis and back again to a theory of specific periodontal pathogens in plaque. Changes in the way plaque and its microorganisms are viewed affect the strat...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Calcification has been associated with carotid plaque stability; however, an acceptable in vivo method to define plaques based on this component remains to be developed. The purpose of our study was to compare calcified and noncalcified volumes of carotid artery culprit symptomatic plaques with asymptomatic plaques using multidetector computed tomography. METHODS We ide...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effect of three calcium sodium phosphosilicate (CSPS)/sodium monofluorophosphate containing dentifrices, compared to positive and negative controls on plaque re-growth in a non-brushing model, after 4 days of twice daily use, as determined by plaque area and Turesky plaque index (TPI). METHODS This was an exploratory, single-centre, examiner-blind, randomised, contr...

BACKGROUND Previous in vitro studies showed little bactericidal effect on structured oral biofilm after exposure to chlorhexidine (CHX). In vivo evidence of a CHX effect against structured biofilm is scarce. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of 0.12% CHX gluconate on previously plaque-free and plaque-covered surfaces. METHODS This study had a single-masked, randomized spli...

BACKGROUND Computed tomographic (CT) angiography provides accurate noninvasive assessment for coronary artery stenosis. The ability of CT angiography to determine plaque morphology remains unclear. METHODS Twelve patients undergoing intravascular ultrasound for clinical indications underwent CT angiography for the evaluation of plaque morphology. Plaque morphology was classified as (1) soft, ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Serial in vivo imaging of atherosclerosis is important for understanding plaque progression and is potentially useful in predicting cardiovascular events and monitoring treatment efficacy. This prospective study aims to quantify temporal changes in carotid atherosclerotic plaque volume and plaque composition using MDCTA. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 109 patients with TIA or...

Carotid atherosclerotic plaques are a major cause of ischaemic stroke. The biomechanical environment to which the arterial wall and plaque is subjected to plays an important role in the initiation, progression and rupture of carotid plaques. MRI is frequently used to characterize the morphology of a carotid plaque, but new developments in MRI enable more functional assessment of carotid plaques...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Measurement of carotid plaque volume and its progression are important tools for research and patient management. In this study, we investigate the observer variability in the measurement of plaque volume as determined by 3-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US). We also investigate the effect of interslice distances (ISD) and repeated 3D US scans on measurement variability. Ma...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Although the ability of MRI to investigate carotid plaque composition is well established, the mechanism and the significance of plaque gadolinium (Gd) enhancement remain unknown. We evaluated clinical and histological significance of Gd enhancement of carotid plaque in patients undergoing endarterectomy for carotid stenosis. METHODS Sixty-nine patients scheduled for a ...