Inflammation has a central role in atherosclerotic plaque formation and rupture. Intense macrophage inflammatory activity results in microcalcifications which are strongly associated with plaque vulnerability. Microcalcifications with specific critical size between 5 and 65 μ, located in the fibrous cap producing local mechanical stress on the plaque surface and may directly contribute to plaque rupture. Hence, accurate assessment of microcalcifications size and dimension has significant clinical importance. Current invasive and noninvasive plaque imaging has limited spatial resolution which limits accurate definition of microcalcifications in the atherosclerotic plaques. We describe a new imaging technique with high spatial resolution, based on confocal microscopic analysis, using a dedicated software which allows automatic characterization of microcalcifications and quantitative assessment of their extent and localization.
Keywords: atherosclerosis; confocal microscopy; microcalcification.