Analysis of Biomechanical Forces Influencing Atherosclerotic Plaque Vulnerability

Cardiovascular disease has long been the leading cause of death in the western world: over 1.4 million heart attacks are suffered every year, more than half of which prove fatal. Vulnerable plaques are inflamed, active, and growing lesions which are prone to complications such as rupture, luminal and mural thrombosis, intraplaque hemorrhage, and rapid progression to stenosis. The rupture of thin fibrous cap overlying the necrotic core of a vulnerable plaque is the principal cause of acute coronary syndrome. The mechanism or mechanisms responsible for the sudden conversion of a stable atherosclerotic plaque to a life threatening athero-thrombotic lesion are not fully understood. It has been widely assumed that plaque morphology is the major determinant of clinical outcome [1, 2].