Blood clot forming in arterial plaque

Digital artwork illustrating a blood clot forming in a blood vessel. Atherosclerosis is a condition in which an artery wall thickens as the result of a build-up of fatty materials such as cholesterol. Suffering with atherosclerotic disease, plaque deposits form along the lining of the artery and grow to cause a narrowing of the vessel which may cause a heart attack or stroke. The plaque can rupture causing a blood clot which forms at the site of the ruptured plaque the clot can completely or partially occlude the blood flow at that point. In arteries, the primary clotting mechanism depends on platelets