Medical Hypotheses
Volume 55, Issue 6 , Pages 480-484, December 2000

Atherosclerotic plaque rupture: a fatigue process?

  • A.J. Bank

      Affiliations

    • Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
    • ,
  • A. Versluis

      Affiliations

    • Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
    • ,
  • S.M. Dodge

      Affiliations

    • Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
    • ,
  • W.H. Douglas

      Affiliations

    • Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Received 12 November 1999; accepted 16 February 2000.

Abstract 

The mechanism of atherosclerotic plaque rupture is not known. Current theories focus on the acute triggers of plaque rupture and myocardial infarction such as increased shear or circumferential stress, rupture of the vasa vasorum and vasospasm. We hypothesize that a critical mechanism causing plaque rupture is fatigue failure, the catastrophic rupture of a material following exposure to high-cycle, low-amplitude repetitive stress. Comparisons between material fatigue and plaque rupture demonstrate that this hypothesis is consistent with known physiologic and epidemiologic data on plaque rupture.

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PII: S0306-9877(00)91096-X

doi:10.1054/mehy.2000.1096

Medical Hypotheses
Volume 55, Issue 6 , Pages 480-484, December 2000

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