Fluorophore Analyses of Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque and Its Early Detection

The diagnosis of atherosclerotic plaque based on time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy and the relationship of the endogenous fluorophores in lesions with the wavelength-resolved and especially the time-resolved data were investigated. The major fluorophores in arterial tissues are elastin and collagen (type I and III), and lipid components such as free cholesterol, cholesterol esters and LDLs. Elastin which has broad spectral emission is the primary fluorophore in normal artery, whereas collagen which has narrow band and blue-shifted peak emission and the highest lifetime is the mainly fluorophore in collagen-rich plaques. Lipid components that have the fastest fluorescence dynamics mainly exist in lipid-rich lesions which are always instability. At last a dual-modality system combined two complementary techniques was also introduced to diagnose vulnerable plaques.