BACKGROUND: Preservation of luminal area and symmetry in the presence of irregular plaques necessitates local expansion of the artery wall. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cross-sectional dimensions of coronary arteries in 65 @entity1 were measured with the use of intravascular ultrasound. A total of 104 arterial segments were studied, of which 88 had @entity731 ; 16 served as nonatherosclerotic control segments. Three features of @entity731 arterial segments were classified: (1) plaque formation, (2) lumen shape, and (3) shape of arterial external elastic lamina. With our intravascular ultrasound-based three-level classification system, we identified three patterns that accounted for 89% of all @entity731 arterial segments: (1) concentric plaque with a circular lumen and a circular external elastic lamina (n= 17), (2) eccentric plaque with a circular lumen and an oval external elastic lamina (n=35), and (3) eccentric plaque with an oval lumen and a circular external elastic lamina (n=26). A circular lumen was preserved in 66% of all @entity731 arterial segments. Arterial segments with a circular lumen in the presence of an eccentric plaque had a significantly larger lumen area than the other two main groups (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: With our intravascular ultrasound-based classification, we provided information regarding the local remodeling response in the coronary artery wall. In a majority of cases, a circular lumen is maintained. Failure of this highly localized response to be operative may contribute to the development of stenotic lesions at a specific site in the artery.

Highly localized arterial remodeling in XXXX with coronary atherosclerosis: an intravascular ultrasound study.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity731 :: ('MESH:D050197', 'Disease') :: ['atherosclerosis', 'atherosclerotic']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['patients']
