A lesion associated with atherosclerosis, a multifactorial and multipart progressive disease manifested by the focal development within the arterial wall of lesions, that ranges from teh development of a fatty streak, plaque progression, and plaque disruption. Atherosclerotic lesions demonstrate consistent morphological characteristics, which indicate that each type may stabilize temporarily or permanently and that progression to the next type may require an additional stimulus. [ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8172861 ]