Translational application of in vivo imaging and analysis of atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability assessment

Whereas atheroma progression/regression studies have focused on luminal narrowing or atheroma burden, the current notion that inflammation and immune response may contribute to the development of plaque rupture has garnered increased interest. As the disease process has become increasingly defined, this provides a range of potential targets to be employed by emerging imaging techniques. With ongoing developments in vascular imaging to visualize compositional and biological features in atherosclerotic plaque, there is considerable interest in the incremental information that can be ascertained. A selective overview of emerging modalities and patents to image the artery wall and the potential target is summarized.