Evidence mapPaperPMID 40681803Full record

ReviewJournal of thrombosis and thrombolysis2026

Coronary plaque healing: a safety net or a hazard indicator?

Kyriakos Dimitriadis, Eleni Adamopoulou, Nikolaos Pyrpyris, Eirini Dri, Sofia Vaina, Eirini Beneki, Panagiotis Tsioufis, Alexandros Kasiakogias, Alexios Antonopoulos, Konstantinos Aznaouridis and 2 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of thrombosis and thrombolysis, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Kyriakos DimitriadisFirst Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Vas Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece. dimitriadiskyr@yahoo.gr.
Eleni AdamopoulouFirst Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Vas Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.
Nikolaos PyrpyrisFirst Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Vas Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.
Eirini DriFirst Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Vas Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.
Sofia VainaFirst Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Vas Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.
Eirini BenekiFirst Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Vas Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.
Panagiotis TsioufisFirst Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Vas Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.
Alexandros KasiakogiasFirst Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Vas Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.
Alexios AntonopoulosFirst Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Vas Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.
Konstantinos AznaouridisFirst Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Vas Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.
Konstantina AggeliFirst Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Vas Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.
Konstantinos TsioufisFirst Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Vas Sofias 114, Athens, 115 27, Greece.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Coronary atherosclerotic plaques can lead to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) occurrence through three main mechanisms: plaque rupture, plaque erosion and calcified nodule. Many destabilized plaques, however, do not cause cardiovascular events. Instead, thrombus formation is confined, lumen patency is preserved and the arterial wall is restored in a process termed as plaque healing. Early studies regarding coronary plaque healing used arterial specimens to determine its prevalence and histological characteristics. Advances in imaging modalities later enabled the implementation of in vivo studies, which have used optical coherence tomography (OCT) to identify the repaired plaques. They are visualized as lesions with a heterogeneous signal-rich layered or multilayered pattern and a distinct optical density from underlying plaque components. On one hand, plaque healing acts as a protective mechanism against myocardial infarction and unstable angina. On the other hand, the presence of layered plaques indicates previous plaque destabilization and therefore increased cardiovascular risk. Clinicians ought to bear these in mind in order to better apply patient risk stratification and adjust medical interventions. The aim of this review is to discuss the physiology of coronary plaque healing, determine its prevalence and clinical significance, as well as propose possible pathophysiological mechanisms behind impaired plaque healing along with therapeutic options.

Indexed as

Acute Coronary SyndromeCoronary Artery DiseasePlaque, AtheroscleroticHumansTomography, Optical CoherenceAcute coronary syndromeAtherosclerotic plaque disruptionAtherosclerotic plaque healingCoronary artery disease

Identifiers

PMID40681803
PMCPMC12886335

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.