Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Nov 1.
Published in final edited form as: Heart. 2016 Jul 12;102(21):1710–1715. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2016-309667

Figure 1. Schematic of the biphasic effect of calcification on surface area.

Figure 1

With increasing calcification, the surface area of the deposits increases until they coalesce, at which point surface area decreases. Based on engineering analyses, the rupture stress corresponds with surface area. These phenomena may explain the biphasic clinical risk associated with coronary calcification.