Atherosclerosis Buildup and hardening of plaque - fat, cholesterol, white blood cells, calcium, and others. Usually due to injury to inner lining (intima) Narrows arteries restricting blood flow Can cause blood clots to form Can cause loss of blood flow to many different parts of the body causing chronic disease and potentially loss of organ function or failure Source – National institute of health

  Intima is the endothelial lining of smooth muscle in a blood vessel   Neointima forms on top of injury or plaque   Previously thought to originate from the tissue beneath it (media)   Probably originates from bone marrow progenitor cells traveling through blood stream Neointima

Diagnosis of Artherosclerosis (Angiography) coronary calcium scoring by CT carotid IMT measurement (ultrasound) Intravascular ultrasound lipoprotein subclass analysis HbA1c, hs-CRP and homocysteine levels

Diagnosis of Artherosclerosis (Angiography) coronary calcium scoring by CT carotid IMT measurement (ultrasound) Intravascular ultrasound lipoprotein subclass analysis HbA1c, hs-CRP and homocysteine levels

Diagnosis of Artherosclerosis (Angiography) coronary calcium scoring by CT carotid IMT measurement (ultrasound) Intravascular ultrasound lipoprotein subclass analysis HbA1c, hs-CRP and homocysteine levels

Most recent… nuclear imaging techniques (PET/SPECT)

Drug Eluting Stents

Stents

Advantages and Risks Prevents fibrosis Can be a replacement for larger heart surgery Thrombosis can still happen Less clear how long the healing process is

MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Made in 1980 = first time machine was made Medical Imaging technique used in radiology Uses no ionizing radiation and no x-ray (Better than CT) More $$ than CT

How does it work?

Uses/Drawbacks Disease detection and used after other testing fails Head trauma, brain aneurysms, stroke, tumors People with pacemakers can’t use because of magnet Claustrophobia occurs to some patients