We report that the pathologic components present within the atheromatous plaques of ApoE knock- out mice can reflect significant amounts of mid-infrared( mid-IRlight). Furthermore, the reflected light spectra contained the unique signatures of a variety of biologic features including those found in unstable or “vulnerable” plaque. This discovery may represent a unique opportunity to develop a new intravascular diagnostic modality that can detect and characterize sites of atherosclerosis.
© 2008 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. DOI: 10.1117/1.2937469