Atheroma common sites

Our most common lethal disease is atherosclerosis, which causes constriction and blockage of arteries of the heart, brain, and other organs. In the United States, Europe, and Japan half of all deaths can be attributed to this ailment.a,b There seems to be a variety of causes. However, there is agreement that the disease begins with injury to the endothelial cells that form the inner lining of the arteries.3/C/d This is followed by the aggregation of blood platelets at the sites of injury and infiltration of smooth muscle cells, which may be attracted by 12-hydrox-yeicosotetraenoic acid and other chemoattractants formed by activated platelets.c "Foam cells" laden with cholesterol and other lipids appear, and the lesions enlarge to become the characteristic plaques (atheromas). 

Pathological, angiographic and ultrasonic studies show that the most common extracranial sites for atheroma are the aortic arch, the proximal subclavian arteries, the carotid... 

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