Structure-dependent dynamic mechanical behavior of fibrous caps from human atherosclerotic plaques.

Abstract

We conclude that the stiffness of fibrous caps from human atherosclerotic plaques is related to the underlying histological structure and that the stiffness increases with frequency in the range of physiological heart rates. The protective benefit of beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agents in coronary artery disease may, in part, be related to the frequency dependence of atherosclerotic plaque stiffness.