Atherosclerotic Plaques Flashcards
1
Q
What are the two types of atherosclerotic plaques?
A
Stable and unstable
2
Q
Describe what a stable plaque is?
A
A stable plaque is one that is less prone to rupture, they usually have a small lipid pool with a thick mature fibrous cap
3
Q
How do stable plaques come about?
A
Stable plaques are usually slow growing plaques that expand gradually due to slow accumulation of of lipid in foam cells and migration and proliferation of SMC
4
Q
Describe what an unstable plaque is?
A
An unstable plaque is one that is prone to rupture, they usually have a large lipid pool with a thin less mature overlying fibrous cap
5
Q
How do unstable plaques come about?
A
Rapid accumulation of fat leads to a large lipid pool with thin less mature fibrous cap
