OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to determine whether arterial remodeling and plaque vulnerability are influenced by systemic factors. BACKGROUND: Atherosclerotic luminal narrowing is caused by gradual plaque growth and arterial remodeling. In the acute phase, luminal narrowing may be accelerated by acute thrombus formation, usually precipitated by rupture of a vulnerable plaque. METHODS: Femoral arteries were obtained from elderly individuals at autopsy. Pairs of atherosclerotic femoral arteries from 42 individuals were examined. The arteries were divided in 1-cm intervals. Plaque size, the mode of arterial remodeling and histopathologic characteristics of plaque vulnerability (lipid-rich core and plaque inflammation) were compared between right and left femoral arteries obtained from the same individual. A role for systemic factors was assumed if a phenomenon was equally present in both arteries. RESULTS: There was concordance in average plaque size (r(2) = 0.5, p < 0.001), expansive remodeling (kappa = 0.42, p = 0.007) and occurrence of plaques containing a large lipid-rich core (kappa = 0.60, p = 0.001), but no concordance in plaque inflammation (kappa = 0.067, p = 0.61) between right and left arteries. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that not only the amount of atherosclerosis, but also arterial remodeling and lipid deposition in plaques, are influenced by systemic factors. The nonhomogeneous distribution of inflammation in atherosclerotic arteries supports the hypothesis that plaque inflammation is locally affected.
OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to determine whether arterial remodeling and plaque vulnerability are influenced by systemic factors. BACKGROUND:Atherosclerotic luminal narrowing is caused by gradual plaque growth and arterial remodeling. In the acute phase, luminal narrowing may be accelerated by acute thrombus formation, usually precipitated by rupture of a vulnerable plaque. METHODS: Femoral arteries were obtained from elderly individuals at autopsy. Pairs of atherosclerotic femoral arteries from 42 individuals were examined. The arteries were divided in 1-cm intervals. Plaque size, the mode of arterial remodeling and histopathologic characteristics of plaque vulnerability (lipid-rich core and plaque inflammation) were compared between right and left femoral arteries obtained from the same individual. A role for systemic factors was assumed if a phenomenon was equally present in both arteries. RESULTS: There was concordance in average plaque size (r(2) = 0.5, p < 0.001), expansive remodeling (kappa = 0.42, p = 0.007) and occurrence of plaques containing a large lipid-rich core (kappa = 0.60, p = 0.001), but no concordance in plaque inflammation (kappa = 0.067, p = 0.61) between right and left arteries. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that not only the amount of atherosclerosis, but also arterial remodeling and lipid deposition in plaques, are influenced by systemic factors. The nonhomogeneous distribution of inflammation in atherosclerotic arteries supports the hypothesis that plaque inflammation is locally affected.
Authors: Mary M McDermott; Christopher M Kramer; Lu Tian; James Carr; Jack M Guralnik; Tamar Polonsky; Timothy Carroll; Melina Kibbe; Michael H Criqui; Luigi Ferrucci; Lihui Zhao; Daniel S Hippe; John Wilkins; Dongxiang Xu; Yihua Liao; Walter McCarthy; Chun Yuan Journal: JACC Cardiovasc Imaging Date: 2016-11-09
Authors: Feiyu Li; Mary McGrae McDermott; Debiao Li; Timothy J Carroll; Daniel S Hippe; Christopher M Kramer; Zhaoyang Fan; Xihai Zhao; Thomas S Hatsukami; Baocheng Chu; Jinnan Wang; Chun Yuan Journal: J Cardiovasc Magn Reson Date: 2010-07-01 Impact factor: 5.364
Authors: V P W Scholtes; J P P M de Vries; L M Catanzariti; D P V de Kleijn; F L Moll; G J de Borst; G Pasterkamp Journal: Curr Cardiol Rev Date: 2011-02
Authors: Vincent P W Scholtes; Jason L Johnson; Nicholas Jenkins; Graciela B Sala-Newby; Jean-Paul P M de Vries; Gert Jan de Borst; Dominique P V de Kleijn; Frans L Moll; Gerard Pasterkamp; Andrew C Newby Journal: J Am Heart Assoc Date: 2012-12-19 Impact factor: 5.501