Intravascular Ultrasound Studies and the Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque (Literature Review)

The vulnerable plaque is an atherosclerotic plaque which can lead to  thrombosis of a coronary artery with development of an acute coronary  syndrome. Most myocardial infarctions occur in people with average  levels of risk factors and thrombosis mostly originate from lesions that  are less severely narrowed. Thus, in most cases, these plaques are clinically silent before the “unheralded” acute event and would not  be considered eligible for preventive treatment based on current  guidelines. The main question is to identify thrombosis-prone  “vulnerable” plaques before they rupture or become destabilized. IVUS  is a useful tool in identifying high risk plaque features and vulnerable lesions in patients.