Edited by Valentin Fuster, former Chairman of the American Heart Association's Committee on Vascular Lesions, Assessing and Modifying the Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque explores the cutting-edge developments in a steadily advancing field. This monograph is a valuable multidisciplinary resource, written by experts in the fields of mechanical and electrical engineering, pathology, neurology, imaging, clinical and vascular biology, physics, radiology and surgery. The book's nineteen chapters and five transcribed Panel Discussions provides a wealth of information on the identification and treatment of atherosclerotic plaques, including the latest diagnostic applications of numerous imaging techniques, the reasons for selecting a particular method, and what can be learned from the imaging results. Important insights into the structural and cellular components of vulnerable plaque are presented, as well as an examination of factors/activities that trigger thrombosis.

Table of Contents:
Historical Perspective Contributors Chapter 1. Evolving Concepts of Atherothrombosis Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD and Roberto Corti, MD Chapter 2. Cerebrovascular Diseases: Pathophysiology and Management Debabrata Mukherjee, MD and Jay S. Yadav, MD Chapter 3. Aortic Arch Vulnerable Plaques: Update Pierre Amarenco, MD and Ariel Cohen, MD, PhD Chapter 4. The Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque in Peripheral Vascular Disease Michael L. Marin, MD, Larry H. Hollier, MD, Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, and Jeffrey Goldman, MD Panel Discussion I. Overview of Pathology: Clinical Correlations of Atherosclerosis Chapter 5. Thermography: A Novel Approach for Identification of Plaques at Risk of Rupture and/or Thrombosis Mohammad Madjid, MD, Morteza Naghavi, MD, James T. Willerson, MD, and Ward Casscells, MD Chapter 6. Intravascular Ultrasound and Plaque Vulnerability: Evidence of a Systemic Disease Process Paul Schoenhagen, MD and Steven E. Nissen, MD, FACC Chapter 7. Intracoronary Angioscopy to Detect Vulnerable Plaques: A Technique Whose Time Has Come? Sergio Waxman, MD Chapter 8. Electron Beam Computed Tomography in Assessing the Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque Robert A. O'Rourke, MD Chapter 9. Multirow-Detector Helical Computed Tomography Christoph R. Becker, MD, Uwe J. Schoepf, MD, and Maximilian F. Reiser, MD Panel Discussion IIA. Overview of Imaging: Coronary Atherosclerosis Chapter 10. Imaging of the High-Risk Plaque Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging Zahi A. Fayad, PhD and Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD Chapter 11. Cardiovascular Imaging with Optical Coherence Tomography Mark E. Brezinski, MD, PhD and James Fujimoto, PhD Panel Discussion IIB. Overview of Imaging: Atherosclerotic Regions and Imaging Modalities Chapter 12. Plaque Instability and Remodeling: Mechanisms and Possible Misconceptions Trine-Line Korsholm, MS, Gerard Pasterkamp, MD, PhD, MSc, and Erling Falk, MD, PhD Chapter 13. Structural and Cellular Components of the Vulnerable Plaque: Extracellular Matrix Renu Virmani, MD, Frank D. Kolodgie, PhD, Allen P. Burke, MD, Andrew Farb, MD, and Thomas N. Wight, PhD Chapter 14. Structural and Cellular Components of the Vulnerable Plaque: Inflammatory Cells Allard C. van der Wal, MD, PhD, Mischa A. Houtkamp, MSc, Onno J. de Boer, PhD, and Anton E. Becker, MD, PhD Panel Discussion III. Structural and Cellular Components of the Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque Chapter 15. Stress and Strain: Biomechanical Guides for Imaging Plaque Stability Hayden Huang, DSc and Richard T. Lee, MD Chapter 16. Endothelium, Flow, and Atherothrombosis Roberto Corti, MD, Lina Badimon, PhD, Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, and Juan Jose Badimon, PhD Chapter 17. Activities that Trigger Plaque Disruption Jagmeet P. Singh, MD, DM, PhD, James Januzzi, MD, and James E. Muller, MD Panel Discussion IV. Mechanical Forces in Plaque Disruption Chapter 18. Matrix Metalloproteinases and Their Inhibitors Uwe Schönbeck, PhD and Peter Libby, MD Chapter 19. Calcium Deposition in Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaques: Pathophysiologic Mechanisms and Potential Implications in the Acute Coronary Syndromes Pedro R. Moreno, MD Panel Discussion V. Regulation of Functional Components of the Vulnerable Plaque Index