Korean Circulation Journal

The Korean Society of Cardiology (대한심장학회)
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Understanding Vulnerable Plaques: Current Status and Future Directions

  • Lee, Kwan Yong (Cardiovascular Center and Cardiology Division, Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea) ;
  • Chang, Kiyuk (Cardiovascular Center and Cardiology Division, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea)
  • Received : 2019.07.03
  • Accepted : 2019.10.07
  • Published : 2019.12.31
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Abstract

The main cause of acute myocardial infarction is plaque rupture accompanied by superimposed coronary thrombosis. Thin-cap fibroatheromas (TCFAs) have been suggested as a type of lesion with a vulnerability that can cause plaque rupture. However, not only the existence of a TCFA but also the fine and complex interactions of other anatomical and hemodynamic factors, such as microcalcification in the fibrous cap, cholesterol crystal-induced inflammasome activation, the apoptosis of intraplaque macrophages, and endothelial shear stress distribution should precede a clinical event caused by plaque rupture. Recent studies are being conducted to identify these mechanisms through molecular imaging and hemodynamic assessment using computational fluid dynamics, which will result in better clinical results through selective coronary interventions.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research were partly supported by a grant from the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2017R1D1A1B03036436) and the Bio & Medical Technology Development Program of the NRF funded by the Ministry of Science & ICT (NRF-2017M3A9D8061157).

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