Table 1: Information Provided by Various Imaging Modalities to Identify the Vulnerable Plaque

Summary Feature Detected Lumen Stenosis Vessel Wall Lipid Content Fibrous Tissue Calcium Thrombus Inflam’n Predict Events
Invasive Modalities
Angiography Degree of stenosis + - - - +/- +/- - +/-
IVUS (Elastography, palpography and virtual histology) Plaque volume, vessel dimensions, (plaque deformability and composition) + + +/- + + +/- - +/-
Angioscopy Plaque Color - - + + - + - +/-
OCT Plaque architecture and cap thickness + + + + + + - ?
Thermography PlaqueTemperature - - ? ? ? ? + +/-
Raman/NIR Plaque chemical constituents - - + + + - - ?
Non-Invasive Modalidies
Nuclear Scintigraphy Plaque constituents - - + - - + - ?
EBCT Predominantly calcium + - - - + - - +/-
MSCT Vessel characteristics + + + + + - - ?
MRI Plaque volume + + + + + - - ?