11.   In that disease, many genes also contribute to the deposition of fatty plaques within artery walls, in combination with environmental factors.

12.   Interventional cardiology had been developing for less than a decade, using tiny balloons to squash blockages against artery walls.

13.   It acts like a scrub brush, scraping excess cholesterol from the artery walls.

14.   LDL cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease because it builds up on artery walls, according to the American Dietetic Association.

15.   Once in place, the balloon is inflated, pressing the arterial plaque against the artery walls.

16.   One of the first steps in atherosclerosis is the formation of plaques, which involves proliferation of cells in artery walls.

17.   Oxidized cholesterol is what clings to artery walls, building up plaque that blocks the vessels, causing heart attack or stroke.

18.   Plaque is not an accumulation of something akin to sludge but rather is more of a tumorlike bulge in artery walls, consisting mostly of smooth muscle cells.

19.   Researchers believe it makes it next to impossible for smooth muscle cells in the artery walls to multiply and form scar tissue.

20.   Scientists believe that smoking speeds up hardening of the arteries, possibly by damaging the artery walls and allowing cholesterol to deposit.