ABSTRACT
The authors of an important recent consensus document recommended the term “vulnerable plaque” to identify all thrombosis-prone plaques and plaques with a high probability of undergoing rapidprogression.1 They proposed a list of vulnerable plaque types: (1) rupture-prone plaques with a large lipid core and a thin fibrous cap infiltrated by macrophages; (2) ruptured plaques with subocclusive thrombi and early organization; (3) erosion-prone plaques with proteoglycan matrix in a smooth muscle cell-rich plaque; (4) eroded plaques with subocclusive thrombi; (5) intraplaque hemorrhage secondary to leaking vasa vasorum; (6) calcific nodules protruding into the vessel lumen; and (7) chronically stenotic plaques with severe calcification, old thrombus, and eccentric lumens.
