Click on image to view larger version.
FIGURE 3. Diagrammatic representation of progression of atherosclerosis as described by Glagov et al. (21). White area indicates presence of plaque, without consideration of distinction between calcified and noncalcified plaque. Positive remodeling during minimal and moderate phases of plaque buildup can occur without compromise of lumen. However, as plaque volume becomes large, the artery no longer enlarges at a rate sufficient to prevent narrowing of the lumen. Although this is a highly simplified illustration of a complex and variable process, this phenomenon is the likely explanation for the observation that the vast majority of calcified coronary plaques are not associated with coronary stenosis (Adapted with permission from (21).)
