Plaque vulnerability and related coronary event prediction by intravascular ultrasound with virtual histology: "it's a long way to tipperary"?

Identification of so-called "vulnerable plaque" or "high-risk" plaques have spawned manifold attempts to develop diagnostic tools capable to afford this task. This task is particularly challenging but the reward is high: local intervention on identified "vulnerable plaque" could preclude plaque thrombosis and possibly prevent acute coronary syndromes. Various imaging techniques are currently under investigation by extensive clinical testing to identify which could become the most sensible and specific modality for vulnerable plaque detection.