Štefan Farský
Progress of imaging and other non-invasive methods for investigation of vessel wall and vascular flow characteristics enables to move in diagnostic process from risk factors to diagnostics of s.c. preclinical atherosclerosis, i. e. to detection of a disease before clinical symptoms appear. The author describes and discusses methods for detection of endothelial dysfunction, stage of toughness of major arteries, incipient atherosclerotic changes on coronary and peripheral arteries. Plaque differentiation in the sense of its stability or vulnerability is emphasized. It is expected that prevention of vascular incidences will be significantly improved by non-invasive diagnostics of atherosclerosis in asymptomatic patients. However, great randomized studies are needed to assess its effectiveness and financial impact.