Coronary artery disease is a chronic disease, characterized by the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries, which causes inflammation and can lead to narrowing or even obstruction of the vessel, and to major cardiac events such as heart attacks. Vulnerable plaque, or high-risk plaque, is a particular type of plaque that has a rich necrotic and lipid content in its core within the vessel wall, and a thin cap separating the necrotic core from the bloodstream.
This plaque which may not be restricting blood flow, is called high risk plaque because it is at high risk of rupturing, at which point a large amount of the core material would be released in the bloodstream and cause acute thrombus formation, resulting in a heart attack. There are currently no dedicated device treatments available for vulnerable plaque.
Current treatments being used such as stents do not address the underlying pathophysiology of the lesion and are commonly associated with a number of problems such as re-narrowing of the vessel and also a future significant risk of a major cardiac events.
