Seeing is believing: imaging techniques to measure atherosclerosis progression

摘要

Techniques that enable the accurate and reproducible detection and measurement of the pathophysiological changes occurring in atherosclerosis, particularly early on in the disease process, will help to identify those subjects who are at highest cardiovascular risk.It is well established that the extent and composition of atheromatous plaque, rather than the degree of stenosis, determines the risk of plaque disruption and, therefore, has most impact on patient outcome Traditional techniques that only provide information about lumen size, such as angiography, are therefore of limited value in predicting clinical events Intiavascular ultrasound (IVUS), developed over the past decade, provides unique advantages that have already impacted on the assessment and understanding of coronary atherosclerosis Several ongoing trials are evaluating the application of IVUS to the study of atherosclerosis progression or regression.These studies, using IVUS, will further increase our understanding of the impact of hyperlipidemia and hypertension on the progression of atherosclerosis, and may help to establish the optimal means of reducing atherosclerotic burden.? 2003 Elsevier B V All rights reserved.