Lesions were categorized according to their morphologic features for stability (by 2 blinded observers). Fibrous lesions and atheromatous plaques were considered stable, whereas thin-capped plaques and plaques with adverse events (eg, intraplaque hemorrhage, cap break, or intramural thrombi) were considered unstable. VEGF-A overexpression led to a higher prevalence of unstable plaques (P = .03).