What is a ruptured plaque in a coronary artery?

Plaque rupture occurs when intraplaque stress exceeds the material strength of the overlying fibrous cap; increased plaque structural stress (PSS) is therefore a potential mechanism that determines rupture of a higher risk lesion.

What causes plaque rupture in artery?

The combination of increased mechanical stress on the fibrous cap and weakening of the fibrous cap extracellular matrix leads to plaque rupture. A cascade of events leads to plaque rupture. Accumulation of lipid in the lesion leads to dramatically increased stress on the fibrous cap of the lesion.

What happens ruptured plaque?

6.2. Coronary atherosclerotic plaque rupture or erosion is the most common cause of MI. Plaque rupture results in circulatory exposure of its thrombogenic contents (e.g., tissue factor, collagens, and lipids) leading to thrombus formation and MI [312,313].

What is plaque rupture thrombosis?

Plaque rupture Thrombosis occurs when platelets and inflammatory cells in the circulating blood come into contact with the thrombogenic necrotic core. Previously, the necrotic core was thought to be the major source of tissue factor.

What happens when plaque ruptures?

With plaque rupture, cap collagen and the highly thrombogenic lipid core, enriched in tissue factor–expressing apoptotic microparticles, are exposed to the thrombogenic factors of the blood.

How do you prevent plaque from rupturing?

Aggressive cholesterol reduction and control of factors which produce endothelial injury and contribute to the development and progression of atherosclerosis such as smoking and hypertension, and prevention of intravascular thrombosis such as aspirin, may prevent plaque rupture, intravascular thrombosis and acute …

Can exercise cause plaque rupture?

Vigorous exercise can induce coronary plaque rupture through several triggering mechanisms: increased wall sheer stress due to high blood pressure or increased heart rate and plaque disruption caused by coronary artery spasms or increased flexing of diseased coronary arteries.

What is the difference between plaque and thrombus?

Plaque erosion is identified when serial sectioning through a thrombus fails to show communication with a necrotic core or deep intima; the endothelium is absent, and the thrombus is superimposed on a plaque substrate primarily composed of smooth muscle cells and proteoglycans.

Do statins prevent plaque rupture?

Chronic pre-treatment with statins is associated with a reduced prevalence of ruptured plaques in patients presenting with ACS, particularly in those with NSTE-ACS.

Do cardiologists take statins?

What a Cardiologist Wants You to Know. About 35 million people take statins in the United States, but research says only 55% of those who are recommended to take a statin are taking one.

What foods to avoid while taking statins?

Grapefruit juice is the only food or drink that has a direct interaction with statins. Statins do not directly interact with any food but people taking statins should moderate their intake of saturated fats to help lower their LDL cholesterol and overall risk of cardiovascular disease.

What happens if the plaque ruptures?

Plaque rupture is the most frequent cause of thrombosis. 85,86 In plaque rupture, a structural defect—a gap—in the fibrous cap exposes the highly thrombogenic core to the blood (Figures 2 and 3). Dislodged plaque material is sometimes found within the thrombus, indicating that rupture and thrombosis coincided and thereby supporting its

2.2.1 Acute myocardial infarction. In a series of 20 acute myocardial infarction related thrombosed coronary arteries of patients who died acute or within 2 days after the onset of the

2.2.2 Unstable angina.

2.2.3 Stable angina.

What are signs of a ruptured artery?

– slight facial drooping – excessive tiredness or sleeping – slight muscle weakness in one side of the body – slurred speech or difficulty speaking – dizziness

How to stabilize plaque?

– Vulnerable plaques are prone to rupture and thrombosis. – Thin-cap fibroatheroma: If the fibrous cap is thin, the plaque is called TCFA. – Plaque stabilization can be achieved by increasing thickness of fibrous cap, reducing inflammation in the fibrous cap, and reducing size of atheromatous core.