Atheroma, pathology

Atherosclerosis is a wide-spread pathology, manifested chiefly by the deposition of cholesterol in arterial walls, which results in the formation of lipid plaques (atheromas). Lipid plaques are specific foreign bodies around which the connective tissue develops abnormally (this process is called sclerosis). This leads to the cal-cification of the impaired site of a blood vessel. The blood vessels become inelastic and compact, the blood supply through the vessels is impeded, and the plaques may develop into thrombi. 

Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902), considered by some to be the greatest pathologist of all time, delivered 20 lectures at the Pathological Institute of Berlin during the months of February, March and April, 1858. These lectures were later translated into English and published. The following is an extract from this translation which demonstrates that Virchow was aware of the possibility that inflammation could be involved in the development of atheroma more than 150 year ago. 

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

Virmani R, Burke AP, Kolodgie FD, Farb A. Pathology of the thin-cap fibro-atheroma a type of vulnerable plaque. J Interv Cardiol 2003 16 267-272. 

The pathological changes in the placental vessels can be very distinct. Zeek and Assali (1950) even saw such a striking resemblance to atheroma-... 

We then repeated FTIR measurements on the diseased aortas from three additional ApoE ( —/ —) mice (3-month-old adult females) and two wild-type controls, and found similar results. These data support the hypothesis that the pathologic components within atheromas cause both the reflection of IR light and the characteristic absorption patterns observed in experimental atherosclerosis. 

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