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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2017 Jan 10;33(7):1089–1099. doi: 10.1007/s10554-016-1055-1

Table 1.

Features of rupture-prone plaques (modified from Falk et al. [8]).

  • Large plaque size

  • Large necrotic core

  • Fibrous cap covering the necrotic core
    • Thin (thickness usually < 65 μm)
    • Many macrophages (inflammation)
    • Few smooth muscle cells (apoptosis)

  • Expansive remodeling preserving the lumen

  • Neovascularization from vasa vasorum (angiogenesis)
    • Intraplaque hemorrhage

  • Adventitial/perivascular inflammation

  • Spotty calcification