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Mechanisms of Calcification in Atherosclerosis

  • Conference paper
Book cover Pathobiology of the Human Atherosclerotic Plaque

Abstract

Calcification of atherosclerotic plaque is widely regarded by physicians and pathologists as a late manifestation of atherosclerosis. Such an attitude accords more importance to the early events in atherogenesis, and fails to properly take into account the morbidity-producing potential of arterial calcification. Although there is some evidence to suggest a degree of reversibility in mostly lipid plaques, once infiltration of the plaque by insoluble calcium phosphate salts has occurred, there may be little likelihood of spontaneous reversal. Furthermore, the persistence of rigid mineral in the plaque causes a drastic loss of local arterial elasticity, and may add permanence and inflexibility to intimal surface irregularities which in turn may promote local blood stasis, turbulence and thrombus formation. Finally, breakdown of endothelial integrity and arterial structure might be expected to occur most frequently in association with rigid, calcified atherosclerotic plaques. The breakdown of endothelium exposes blood to extrinsic factors of the coagulation cascade, and is often associated with local thrombogenesis.

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Authors
  1. H. C. Anderson
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  2. D. H. McGregor
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  3. A. Tanimura
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Chicago Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, 60637, USA

    Seymour Glagov MD (Professor of Pathology) (Professor of Pathology)

  2. Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112-1393, USA

    William P. Newman III MD

  3. Colestech Corporation, Hayward, California, 94545, USA

    Sheldon A. Schaffer PhD

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© 1990 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

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Anderson, H.C., McGregor, D.H., Tanimura, A. (1990). Mechanisms of Calcification in Atherosclerosis. In: Glagov, S., Newman, W.P., Schaffer, S.A. (eds) Pathobiology of the Human Atherosclerotic Plaque. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3326-8_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3326-8_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7968-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-3326-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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