Vulnerable plaque Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
A vulnerable plaque is an atheromatous plaque which is particularly prone to produce sudden major problems, such as a heart attack or stroke.Generally an atheroma becomes vulnerable if it grows more rapidly and has a thin cover separating it from the bloodstream inside the arterial lumen. Tearing of the cover is called plaque rupture.
Upon rupture, tissue debris spill into the blood stream; these debris are often too large (over 5 micrometres) to pass on through capillaries, and obstructs smaller downstream branches of the artery.
Additionally, atheroma rupture may allow bleeding from the lumen into the inner tissue of the atheroma making the atheroma size suddenly increase and protrude into the lumen of the artery producing lumen narrowing or even total obstruction.
Blood clotting on top of the site of the ruptured plaque may become so large as to largely or completely block the lumen of the artery, thereby stopping blood flow to the tissues the artery supplies.
Repeated atheroma rupture and healing is one of the mechanisms which creates artery stenosis.
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