atheromatous plaque

atheromatous plaque,

a yellowish raised area on the lining of an artery formed by fatty deposits indicative of atherosclerosis.

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plaque [plak]

1. any patch or flat area.

2. a superficial, solid, elevated skin lesion with a diameter equal to or greater than 1.0 cm (0.5 cm according to some authorities); see also papule.

3. dental plaque.

atheromatous plaque fibrous plaque.

dental plaque a dense, nonmineralized, highly organized biofilm of microbes, organic and inorganic material derived from the saliva, gingival crevicular fluid, and bacterial byproducts. It plays an important etiologic role in the development of dental caries and periodontal and gingival diseases; calcified plaque forms dental calculus.

fibrous plaque the lesion of atherosclerosis, a white to yellow area within the wall of an artery that causes the intimal surface to bulge into the lumen; it is composed of lipid, cell debris, smooth muscle cells, collagen, and, in older persons, calcium. Called also atheromatous plaque.

Hollenhorst p's atheromatous emboli containing cholesterol crystals in the retinal arterioles.

pleural p's opaque white plaques on the parietal pleura, visible radiographically in cases of asbestosis.

senile p's microscopic lesions composed of fragmented axon terminals and dendrites surrounding a core of amyloid seen in the cerebral cortex in Alzheimer's disease.

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plaque

1. any patch or flat area.

2. a clear area of cell lysis caused by viral replication on a cell monolayer.

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amniotic plaque

small, 1 to 2 inch diameter, poxlike lesion on the inside of the amnion. Constant on the bovine amnion during the middle trimester and causes no problems.

annular plaque

seen in equine lupus erythematosus panniculitis.

plaque assay

a method of quantifying the number of infectious units by inoculating serial dilutions of a viral suspension on a cell culture monolayer, overlaying with a medium containing agarose and after several days incubation, counting the number of plaques formed; recorded as plaque forming units/ml.

atheromatous plaque

a deposit of predominantly fatty material in the lining of blood vessels occurring in atherosclerosis.

bacterial plaque, dental plaque

a mass adhering to the enamel surface of a tooth, composed of a mixed colony of bacteria in an intercellular matrix of bacterial and salivary polymers and remnants of epithelial cells and leukocytes. It may cause caries, dental calculi and periodontal disease.

cutaneous plaque

an elevated, solid structure without a necrotic center, up to 1 to 2 inch diameter with an unbroken surface.

drug plaque

cutaneous, subcutaneous or subconjunctival deposits formed as a result of injection of some drugs, particularly repository steroid preparations. May be unsightly and a cause of conjunctivitis.

ear plaque

see ear plaque.

eosinophilic plaque

see eosinophilic plaque.

plaque-forming cells

see plaque assay (above).

plaque-forming count

the number of plaques formed in the plaque assay.

senile plaque

described in the brain of old dogs.

siderotic plaque

nodules observed as dry, yellow encrustations on the splenic capsule of old dogs.