Arteriosclerosis

Snapshot

A 56-year-old man presents to the emergency department (ED) after being found unresponsive in his home. Advanced cardiovascular life support was instituted, failed, and the patient was pronounced dead. The family arrived at the ED and reported that the patient had a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hypercholesterolemia. Forensic studies in the coronary vessels demonstrated that a myocardial infarction with subsequent fatal arrhythmia was determined to be the cause of death. His coronary vessels demonstrated atherosclerosis.

Introduction

Definition
- arterial hardening that results from arterial wall thickening and a loss of vessel elasticity

General Patterns of Arteriosclerosis
Types	Findings
Arteriolosclerosis	Sclerosis of the small arteries and the arteriolesThere are two variantshyaline pink hyaline thickening of the arteries with narrowing of the vessel lumen hyperplastic onion skin thickening with narrowing of the vessel lumen May result in distal ischemic injury
Monkeberg medial sclerosis	Calcifications of muscular arteriesthe internal elastic lamina and media of arteries are involvedThese calcifications do not encroach in the vessel lumenThese are clinically benign
Atherosclerosis	Secondary to a build of cholesterol plaques affecting elastic arteries and large and medium-sized muscular arteries