Distribution of Atherosclerosis Throughout Major Arteries of the Vascular System

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the overall distribution of atherosclerosis in ten major arteries in an effort to determine which locations could be targeted for clinical use in atherosclerosis screening. Data was collected from twenty male and twenty-five female donors. The abdominal aorta, coronary, common carotid, external carotid, internal carotid, axillary, common iliac, external iliac, internal iliac, and femoral arteries were removed and examined for plaque deposition. Calipers were used to measure the presence of plaque and its thickness. The greatest frequency and severity of plaque accumulation was found in the abdominal aorta, followed by the common iliac artery. The greatest extent of plaque deposition in these vessels was observed at or near bifurcation sites. Notable differences in sidedness were not observed in the majority of paired arteries with the exceptions of the femoral and internal iliac arteries, which both indicated higher plaque frequencies on the right side of the body compared to the left. Plaque distribution between males and females was fairly analogous apart from the common carotid artery in which females displayed a significantly higher plaque frequency than males. An understanding of the distribution of plaque in the arterial system is a critical step towards screening patients for early detection and preventing early, asymptomatic plaque from progressing to a symptomatic or even life-threatening condition.