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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2002;22:1064-a.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.

ATVB In Focus

ATVB In Focus

Noninvasive Assessment of Atherosclerosis–From Structure to Function

William G. Haynes, Series Editor

From the Cardiovascular Center (S.R.L.) and the Department of Internal Medicine (W.G.H.), University of Iowa, Iowa City.

Correspondence to Dr Steven R. Lentz, ATVB Editorial Office, 609 MRC, Cardiovascular Center, University of Iowa, 2222 Old Highway 218 S, Iowa City, IA 55246-9923. E-mail ATVB@uiowa.edu; or to Dr William G. Haynes, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 55542. E-mail william-g-haynes@uiowa.edu

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

The brief review by Choudhury et al¹ in this issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology is the first in a series of articles intended to highlight emerging technologies for the structural and functional assessment of atherosclerosis. Although many of the techniques have been used in nonhuman models, this series will focus primarily on methods that have proven or show potential utility in human subjects. One reason for choosing this area for a series of focused brief reviews was the aim of the Editors of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology to assist the translation of basic scientific advances into the clinical arena.

There have been fundamental advances in our understanding of the genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular processes that underlie atherosclerosis, as well as the development of innovative technologies for vascular imaging. Ultimately, these advances should transform the assessment of atherosclerosis in human subjects. A common theme of this series is the recognition that evaluation of atherosclerotic disease must move beyond structural analysis of obstructive lesions toward approaches that use innovative methods to predict plaque rupture. Such approaches will assess specific features that are predictive of plaque stability, including tissue composition, vascular function, and biochemical markers of disease.

This series will include articles on the noninvasive assessment of plaque structure and composition (as in this issue’s review). It will also review techniques that permit assessment of vascular function in vivo, because of the increasing evidence that plaque stability, rather than overall atherosclerotic burden, predicts complications of atherosclerosis. Furthermore, given that . . . [Full Text of this Article]