Fig. 8.

Locations of local maxima of stress. After computational solid mechanical modeling of Von Mises stress distributions in atherosclerotic plaques, we quantified the percentage of vessels exhibiting local maxima of stress in specific locations. A local maximum was defined as stresses > 4 SD above the vessel's mean stress. Very few mouse vessels exhibited peak stresses in a fibrous cap over lipid-rich core, whereas nearly all human TCFA did. In contrast, every single mouse vessel had peak stress in the adventitia or media, whereas less than half of human plaques did. Mice were fed HF or regular chow diets, and some mice received ANG II. Above each bar is the raw number of vessels with a local maximum at the specified location.