[Vulnerable plaque actual and future identification methods]

The atherothromboses is the principal cause of death in the western World, the rupture of the vulnerable plaque is the trigger of the acute coronary syndromes. The importance of identifying the vulnerable plaque before its rupture continues being a challenge. At the moment the diagnosis can be made by noninvasive methods, like the presence of risk factors and blood markers of vulnerability and invasive methods like angiocospic. Although several methods exist, there is no one that gives all morphologic and inflammatory activity; it seems that the thermography is going to be the most helpful. The future will be not just the diagnosis of vulnerable plaque but the vulnerable patient.