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Adventitial lymphocytic inflammation in human coronary arteries with intimal atherosclerosis

Fabio Tavora1, Robert Kutys, Ling Li

  • 1Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC, USA.

Cardiovascular Pathology : the Official Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology
|April 21, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Adventitial inflammation, characterized by lymphocyte aggregates and macrophages, is significantly linked to unstable plaque features like rupture and thin caps in coronary arteries. This inflammation increases with arterial stenosis but not calcification.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Pathology
  • Immunology
  • Atherosclerosis Research

Background:

  • The interplay between adventitial inflammation, coronary plaque characteristics, and culprit lesion morphology remains underexplored.
  • Understanding these relationships is crucial for diagnosing and managing coronary artery disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between adventitial inflammation and coronary plaque morphology.
  • To determine if adventitial inflammation correlates with plaque instability features.

Main Methods:

  • Autopsy analysis of coronary artery segments from patients with severe coronary disease.
  • Classification of lesions using modified AHA criteria.
  • Assessment of adventitial lymphocyte aggregates and macrophage density (CD68 staining) in relation to plaque characteristics.

Main Results:

  • Adventitial lymphocytic inflammation correlated positively with percent stenosis but not calcification.
  • Plaque rupture, erosion, and thin caps were associated with increased adventitial lymphocytic inflammation, independent of stenosis.
  • Peri-adventitial adipose macrophage density was higher in atherosclerotic plaques and correlated with adventitial lymphocytes and intimal macrophages.

Conclusions:

  • Plaque instability features are significantly associated with increased adventitial lymphocytic inflammation, including lymphocyte aggregates and adipocyte-derived macrophages.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the connection between intimal and adventitial inflammation in coronary arteries.
Abstract

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