Widespread Coronary Inflammation in Unstable Angina

Inflammation within a vulnerable coronary plaque may cause unstable angina by producing erosion or rupture. This study used measurements of neutrophil myeloperoxidase to assess neutrophil activation in blood from the aorta, femoral vein, and great cardiac vein. The data support the concept that in unstable angina there is widespread inflammation in the coronary bed, not just in a single vulnerable plaque. This study used measurements of neutrophil myeloperoxidase. In unstable angina there appears to be widespread inflammation in the coronary bed. The hypothesis that inflammation of a vulnerable plaque is responsible for the development of acute coronary syndromes 1 – 5 is stimulating a variety of techniques for the detection and stabilization of vulnerable plaques. 6 – 10 Yet, it is unclear whether the inflammatory process is confined to a single vulnerable plaque or whether it is more widespread in the coronary vasculature. The possibility of widespread inflammation of the coronary arterial bed is suggested by the recent report of multiple complex coronary plaques in patients with acute myocardial infarction 11 and by previous postmortem findings of multiple fresh thrombi in patients with unstable angina 12 and . . .