Soft Plaque

Soft plaque rupture is dangerous because it can trigger acute clot formation rather than merely narrowing the artery over time. Plaque danger depends more on composition and inflammation than on plaque size alone. Soft plaque can develop in coronary arteries without symptoms or obvious abnormalities on standard cholesterol testing. Most acute myocardial infarctions are attributed in the article to rupture of soft plaques rather than severe preexisting arterial narrowing.