IMAGEPRO PLUS was used to quantify maximum
fibrous cap thickness, and plaque contents, indicated as ratios (%) of the positive area/intimal area.
Our study has also shown that almost half of our patients have bridging collaterals, the lesion themselves are generally small in size with tapering ends and without
fibrous caps or bends.
What they found was that a thin protective
fibrous cap (FC) overlying an atherosclerotic plaque (lipid pool) may rupture, triggering the formation of a blood clot, which may eventually lead to an acute event such as heart attack.
We measured the thickness of
fibrous cap and collagen content in shear stress-induced carotid plaques.
In the meantime, decrease in the thickness of
fibrous cap at the injury site raises the risk of plaque rupture and may result in death by inducing CAD.
Thrombosis occurs as a consequence of a ruptured
fibrous cap, and this catastrophic phenomenon is very frequent at the inflamed and thinned sites of the
fibrous cap in advanced lesions.
More mature plaques (stable plaques) have a thick
fibrous cap, which is less likely to rupture.
Macrophage infiltration weakens the
fibrous cap by phagocytosing the extracellular matrix and releasing proteolytic enzymes (eg, plasminogen activators, matrix metalloproteinases).
This unique catheter-based, guidewire-deliverable device supports the body's natural healing process and promotes growth of endothelial cells over the lesion's thin
fibrous cap to prevent it from rupturing," explained Bhavatharini Rajesh, Research Analyst, Frost & Sullivan.
Virtual histology analysis of the plaque confirmed the findings of vulnerable plaque with a large lipid core and a thin
fibrous cap (Fig.
MRI using the 'black-blood' technique (wall shows up as white structure) allows non-invasive imaging of the arterial wall, characterisation of plaque and
fibrous cap and can be used to study plaque progression and regression.
The three major determinants of a plaque vulnerability to rupture are: the size and consistency of the lipid-rich core, the thickness and density of smooth muscle cells and collagen content of the
fibrous cap overlying the core, and active inflammatory and immunological processes within the
fibrous cap characterized by an increased density of macrophages, T lymphocytes, and mast cells (1).
