Open AccessCoronary atherosclerosis in sudden cardiac death: An autopsy study
Author(s) -
M Lakshmi Sudha,
Sandhya Sundaram,
K-Raman Purushothaman,
P Sampath Kumar,
D Prathiba
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
indian journal of pathology and microbiology/indian journal of pathology and microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.217
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 0974-5130
pISSN - 0377-4929
DOI - 10.4103/0377-4929.56130
Subject(s) - vasa vasorum , medicine , autopsy , coronary atherosclerosis , sudden cardiac death , sudden death , coronary arteries , calcification , cause of death , cardiology , population , pathology , inflammation , lumen (anatomy) , arterial tree , fibrous cap , coronary artery disease , disease , artery , environmental health
The incidence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) has markedly increased in India over the past few years. Considering the variations in racial, dietary and lifestyle patterns in our population, it is essential to study the biology of coronary atherosclerosis in our patients. Vulnerable plaques have a large number of foam cells, extracellular lipid, thin fibrous caps and clusters of inflammatory cells and are more prone to rupture. These plaques are nourished by the microvessels arising from the vasa vasorum of the blood vessels and by lumen-derived microvessels through the fibrous cap. This autopsy study was designed to analyse the coronary arterial tree in cases of sudden cardiac death, classify coronary atherosclerotic plaques and to assess the factors contributing to vulnerability of the plaques including inflammation, calcification and microvascular density.