Why the study?
Many vulnerable plaques do not cause clinical events, prompting a shift toward the multifaceted concept of vulnerable patients and incorporating hemodynamic forces alongside plaque morphology to better predict ACS.
Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Design
Review
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
This review highlights the paradigm shift from focusing solely on vulnerable plaques to identifying vulnerable patients by integrating plaque morphology with hemodynamic factors like computational fluid dynamics to better predict acute coronary syndromes.
The likelihood of a plaque to cause an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) depends on several factors, both lesion- and patient-related. One of the most investigated and established contributing factors is the presence of high-risk or "vulnerable plaque" characteristics, which have been correlated with increased incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). The recognition, however, that a significant percentage of vulnerable plaques do not result in causing clinical events has led the scientific community towards the more multifaceted concept of "vulnerable patients". Incorporating the morphological features of an atherosclerotic plaque into its hemodynamic surroundings can better predict the chance of its disruption, as altered fluid dynamics play a significant role in plaque destabilization. The advances in coronary imaging and the field of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can contribute to develop more accurate lesion- and patient-related ACS prediction models that take into account both the morphology of a plaque and the forces applied upon it. The aim of this review is to provide the latest data regarding the aforementioned predictive factors as well as relevant preventive measures.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Adamopoulou et al. (2025) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: