Qualitative evaluation of coronary atherosclerosis in a large cohort of young and middle-aged Dutch tissue donors implies that coronary thrombo-embolic manifestations are stochastic.

Dominance of consolidated FCP lesions in males over 40 and females over 50 years, show that plaque ruptures in the left coronary artery are common. However, the majority of these ruptures remain asymptomatic. This implies that the atherosclerotic process is repetitive. A relative difference in disease burden between CVD and non-CVD donors supports the concept that complications of atherosclerotic disease involve a stochastic element.