CBS 2019
CBSMD教育中心
中 文

科学研究

Abstract

Recommended Article

Haemodynamic definitions and updated clinical classification of pulmonary hypertension A Score to Assess Mortality After Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair Propensity-Matched 1-Year Outcomes Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Low-Risk Bicuspid and Tricuspid Patients Defining cardiovascular toxicities of cancer therapies: an International Cardio-Oncology Society (IC-OS) consensus statement Definitions and classifications of bifurcation lesions and treatment Definition, classification and diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension Endothelial ACKR3 drives atherosclerosis by promoting immune cell adhesion to vascular endothelium Ticagrelor alone versus ticagrelor plus aspirin from month 1 to month 12 after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ULTIMATE-DAPT): a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial

Recommandation Statement2025 Jun;18(6):709-740.

JOURNAL:JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. Article Link

Vulnerable or High-Risk Plaque: A JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging Position Statement

R Vergallo, SJ Park, IK Jang et al. Keywords: high-risk plaque, ACS, SCD

Abstract

The concept of high-risk plaque emerged from pathologic and epidemiologic studies 3 decades ago that demonstrated plaque rupture with thrombosis as the predominant mechanism of acute coronary syndrome and sudden cardiac death. Thin-cap fibroatheroma, a plaque with a large lipidic core covered by a thin fibrous cap, is the prototype of the rupture-prone plaque and has been traditionally defined as “vulnerable plaque.” Although knowledge on the pathophysiology of plaque instability continues to grow, the risk profile of our patients has shifted and the character of atherosclerotic disease has evolved, partly because of widespread use of lipid-lowering therapies and other preventive measures. In vivo intracoronary imaging studies indicate that superficial erosion causes up to 40% of acute coronary syndromes. This changing landscape calls for broader perspective, expanding the concept of high-risk plaque to the precursors of all major substrates of coronary thrombosis beyond plaque rupture. Other factors to take into consideration include dynamic changes in plaque composition, the importance of plaque burden, inflammatory activation (both local and systemic), healing mechanisms, regional hemodynamic pattern, properties of the fluid phase of blood, and the amount of myocardium at risk subtended by a lesion. Rather than the traditional focus limited to the thin-cap fibroatheroma, the authors advocate a more comprehensive approach that considers both morphologic features and biological activity of plaques and blood. This position paper highlights the challenges to the usual concept of high-risk plaque, proposes a broader definition, and analyzes its key morphologic features, the technological progress of plaque imaging (particularly using intracoronary imaging techniques), advances in pharmacologic therapies for plaque regression and stabilization, and the feasibility and efficacy of focal interventional treatments including preemptive plaque sealing.