However, the situation is completely different in lipid-rich
lesions, in particular – in a fibrolipid plaque (atheroma). Fibrolipid
plaque is known to represent an unstable lesion with maximum
or near maximum active cellular processes. Clinically, this lesion
type is the most dangerous, since the growth of fibrolipid plaque
often leads to plaque rupture, the event which is accompanied
by critically dangerous local changes in homoeostasis, resulting in
thromboembolia (which is known as the cause of vascular catastrophes
such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and sudden death). It is
importantto stresshere thatfibrolipid plaques and especially initial
lesions might be reversible, since changes in the “cellular system”
presumably are not irreversible. Based on the suggestion that lipid
accumulation is the key event in the initiation and development of
atherosclerotic lesions, we consider that therapeutic intervention
againstlipid accumulation and the removal of excessive lipids from
cells might represent effective approaches for the prevention ofthe
progression of earlier atherosclerotic lesions into fibrous plaques