ABSTRACT
Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease of blood vessels which begins early in life but causes significant morbidity and mortality during middle and late adulthood. The specific consequences of the pathologic changes of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease depend in part on the size of the artery involved. Large elastic arteries, including the aorta and iliac arteries, typically undergo destruction of the wall with aneurysmal dilatation, while medium- and smaller-sized muscular arteries, such as the coronary, carotid, basilar, vertebral, femoral, and tibial arteries, generally develop occlusive lesions, resulting in complications related to distal ischemia.
