Vulnerable plaque: detection and management.

Because most myocardial infarctions result from the rupture of a plaque that did not significantly compromise the coronary lumen before the event, experts widely accept that the morphology, composition, and degree of inflammation of a coronary atherosclerotic plaque is more important than the degree of luminal stenosis. Two depicting examples are the concentric, calcified lesion that shows significant luminal stenosis but is stable because of the stabilizing clasp of calcification. In contrast, a smaller but inflamed thin fibrous cap atheroma with a big lipid/necrotic core may rupture and cause an immediate fatal coronary occlusion.