In atherosclerosis, lipid accumulation and inflammation over time may lead to blockage of the arteries or even stroke. Lipids are involved in all stages of atherosclerosis, and some lipids are linked to plaque vulnerability. It has been found that plaque lipid optoacoustic signals exhibit distinct spectral features, which allows for identification of different lipid plaque signatures. In this study we will present the ex vivo spectral optoacoustic results of different advanced atherosclerotic plaques, measured with multispectral optoacoustic tomography (inVision 128, iThera Medical GmbH, 850-1250nm). The found spectral features might be used in in vivo detection of advanced atherosclerotic plaque features of instability.
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