Wahle A, Lopez JJ, Olszewski ME, Vigmostad SC, Chandran KB, Rossen JD, Sonka M:


Analysis of the Interdependencies among Plaque Development, Vessel Curvature, and Wall Shear Stress in Coronary Arteries.

FIMH '05, in:

Frangi AF, Radeva PI, Santos A, Hernandez M (eds):

Functional Imaging and Modeling of the Heart (FIMH '05).

Third International Conference, Barcelona, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer

Volume 3504, Page 12-22, 2005

Continuation of the earlier study with additional patient data (Paper) (Links)

Abstract: The relationships among vascular geometry, hemodynamics, and plaque development in coronary arteries are not yet well understood. This in-vivo study was based on the observation that plaque frequently develops at the inner curvature of a vessel, presumably due to a relatively lower wall shear stress. We have shown that circumferential plaque distribution depends on the vessel curvature in the majority of vessels. Consequently, we studied the correlation of plaque distribution and hemodynamics in a set of 48 vessel segments reconstructed by 3-D fusion of intravascular ultrasound and x-ray angiography. The inverse relationship between local wall shear stress and plaque thickness was significantly more pronounced (p<0.025) in vessel cross sections exhibiting compensatory enlargement (positive remodeling) without luminal narrowing than when the full spectrum of vessel stenosis severity was considered. Our findings confirmed that relatively lower wall shear stress is associated with increased plaque development.