Morphometric analysis of atherosclerotic plaques in human carotid arteries

Morphometric analysis of 35 biopsy specimens from patients with stable (n=10) and unstable (n=25) atherosclerotic lesions was carried out. The structure of the plaques and their connective tissue caps was studied by various methods of histological sections staining. A new morphometric approach to quantitative evaluation of atherosclerotic lesions instability is suggested. It consists in calculation of the morphological "rigidity" coefficient, due to which the plaque is characterized more accurately. The proportion of areas of the "rigid" (connective tissue and calcium salt deposition areas) to "soft" (atheronecrotic nuclei, microvessels, clots and hemorrhages) structures of the plaque is evaluated. Plaque instability (liability of a to rupture) is associated with changes in the extracellular matrix components in the cap: accumulation of collagen and reduction of elastic fiber content reducing vessel elasticity and making its locally more rigid.