American College of Cardiology

TAYLOR ET AL., 34th BETHESDA CONFERENCE: Can Atherosclerosis Imaging Techniques Improve the Detection of Patients at Risk for Ischemic Heart Disease?
J Am Coll Cardiol 2003;41:11:1855-917

BETHESDA CONFERENCE REPORT
34th Bethesda Conference: Can Atherosclerosis Imaging Techniques Improve the Detection of Patients at Risk for Ischemic Heart Disease?¹

Allen P. Burke, MD, FACC, Co-Chair, Renu Virmani, MD, FACC, Co-Chair, Zorina Galis, PHD, Christian C. Haudenschild, MD, FESC, James E. Muller, MD, FACC


Figure 1.

Figure 1. Histopathology of plaque progression. Descriptions begin at top, from left to right. Intimal thickening is normal in all age groups and is characterized by smooth muscle cell accumulation within the intima. Intimal xanthoma corresponds to the fatty streak and denotes the accumulation of macrophages and lymphocytes within the intimal thickening lesion. Pathologic intimal thickening denotes the accumulation of extracellular lipid. Fibrous cap atheroma indicates the presence of a necrotic core under a fibrous cap, which may become thinned (thin-cap atheroma). This lesion may rupture, with exposure of thrombus to the lumen. The thrombus of a plaque erosion may overlie pathologic intimal thickening (left) or fibrous cap atheroma (right). Calcified nodule is a rare form of coronary thrombus. Acute rupture may progress to healing (healed plaque rupture) without luminal occlusion. EL = extracellular lipid; NC = necrotic core; FC = fibrous cap; Th = thrombus.