The American Heart Association reports that atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is a leading cause of many deaths from heart attack and stroke. Although the causes of atherosclerosis are multifactorial, great strides are being made in the management of this disease. Dr. K. Lance Gould, professor of cardiology at UT Health Science Center at Houston, is director of the Weatherhead P.E.T. Center for Preventing and Reversing Atherosclerosis, a program that uses state-of-the-art three-dimensional imaging called Positron Emission Tomography (P.E.T.) to diagnose and assess heart problems. P.E.T. studies blood flow and metabolic activity within the body to gather information not available through other procedures such as CT or MRI.