Research results indicate that optical coherence tomography (OCT), a newly evolving imaging method, may be the best tool available to detect vulnerable plaque in coronary arteries. The findings will be presented at the 20th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF). Vulnerable plaque (VP) has been identified as a possible cause of sudden cardiac death, most of which occurs in patients with no history of heart disease. Vulnerable plaque is different from the fibrotic, calcified plaque that grows gradually until a lesion completely occludes an artery. VP is susceptible to sudden rupture, swiftly forming a clot that blocks the flow of blood through a coronary artery, causing a heart attack. VP consists of an underlying lipid-rich core...
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