Spatial Distribution of Vulnerable Plaques: Comprehensive In Vivo Coronary Plaque Mapping

Objectives The authors performed a comprehensive analysis on the distribution of coronary plaques with different phenotypes from our 3-vessel optical coherence tomography (OCT) database. Background Previous pathology studies demonstrated that thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) is localized in specific segments of the epicardial coronary arteries. A detailed description of in vivo coronary plaques of various phenotypes has not been reported. Methods OCT images of all 3 coronary arteries in 131 patients were analyzed every 1 mm to assess plaque phenotype and features of vulnerability. In addition, plaques were divided into tertiles according to percent area stenosis (%AS). Results Among 534 plaques identified ...