Imaging biomarkers of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis imaging plays a significant role in an understanding of the natural history of vascular disease and is increasingly used to assess the efficacy of novel therapeutics. Furthermore, the concepts of 'vulnerable plaque' and, more recently, of 'vulnerable patient' have driven cardiovascular imaging technologies to develop methods for expanded qualitative and quantitative analyses. Indeed, developmental efforts are underway to better demonstrate thin fibrous cap and large necrotic cores, and to determine the correlation between these findings and subsequent cardiovascular events. In this article, we consider a wide variety of cardiovascular imaging techniques that are used as biomarkers of atherosclerosis. These technologies include traditional imaging such as angiography, as well as advanced imaging techniques using both invasive and noninvasive approaches.