1.5 Pathology of Atherosclerosis Flashcards
What is the process of atherosclerosis occurring also called?
Atherogenesis
What are atherosclerotic plaques also sometimes referred to as?
Lesion, Atheroma
What are the narrowings caused by atherosclerosis also called?
Stenosis
What are “unstable” or “vulnerable” plaques in terms of atherosclerosis
Plaques that are vulnerable to rupture
What are the two types of events that cause plaque instability?
- Rupture
- Erosion
Provide a basic summary of atherogenesis
- Normal vessel
- Fatty streak deposited between intima and media, increasing intima-media thickness
- Media-intima expands; inflammatory immune cells enter as well
- Increases in size
- Necrotic core; highly unstable. Made of lipid deposits and cellular debris (inflammatory cells have undergone apoptosis)
What is the first step in atherogenesis? What can cause this?
Damage to endothelial lining of vessel; can be caused by hypertension, smoking, chronic chyperglycaemia, hypercholesterolaemia, turbulent blood flow
Describe how positive artery remodelling can hide plaque formation, and the complications that can occur due to this
- Positive remodelling occurs when the growth of a plaque occurs in an outward direction, meaning they do not encroach on the lumen of the vessel itself
- Therefore, blood flow is not immediately occluded, and so it may not show up on angiograms
- However, over time, thrombotic complications can occur, which can lead to occlusion of blood flow and even infarction
Summarise the mechanism of atherogenesis
Check Against Video 2, 1.5, Final Slife
True or false: atherosclerotic plaque develops exponentially over time
- False.
- Non-continouous, non-linear accumulation of SMCs
- Bursts of growth may occur within plaque
What is ateriosclerosis? How does this relate to atherosclerosis?
- Hardening of arteries.
- Atherosclerosis is a type of arteriosclerosis
