Lipid cartography of atherosclerotic plaque by cluster-TOF-SIMS imaging

Several frozen vessels bearing atherosclerotic lesion were analysed by cluster TOF-SIMS (time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry) to map their lipid (fatty acids, cholesterol, vitamin E, phosphatidic acids, phosphatidylinositols and triglycerides) content at a micrometric resolution.