Tag Archives: intravascular ultrasound

Background Figure 1. Positive remodelling: arterial expansion to protect luminal size Coronary luminal narrowing is prevented by a vascular mechanism known as positive remodelling. This is an outwards expansion of the blood vessel to accommodate the build up of plaque within the artery (figure 1). This phenomenon appears within diseased segments of coronary arteries and the build up of these plaques is dependent on multiple, well-known factors from genetics and lifestyle through to coronary anatomy and flow patterns. The complex pathobiology that creates these plaques and leads to plaque structure weakening is beyond the scope of this review.