Advances in Cardiovascular Imaging for Detection of Vulnerable Plaques

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death not only in developed countries, but also in developing countries such as China. According to medical statistics published in 2003, there was one cardiovascular death every 16 seconds in China compared with one only every 34 seconds in the US.1 Most of these patients died suddenly without any warning symptoms. Recent studies have proved that most acute coronary events, including acute myocardial infarctions and sudden cardiac deaths, are caused by plaque rupture.