Noninvasive Ultrasound Assessment Of Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in all the market economies, and its incidence and prevalenceis also rapidly increasing in many developing countries.Pathology of Atherosclerosis:Progressive atherosclerotic lesions consist of stable plaques and unstable thrombotic plaques. stable plaques is a plaque with pathologic intimal thickening is characterized by intimal thickening associated with lipid deposition but without evidence of necrosis but unstable thrombotic plaques is thrombi that occur as a consequence of 1 of 3 events: plaque rupture, plaque erosion or, less frequently, a calcified nodule. Ulceration and plaque rupture have been variably defined and alternatively used in the literature and are correlated with the presence of vulnerable plaques.The aim of this essay is to review the different non-invasive ultrasonographic methods which can be used for assessment of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.