[en] Monoclonal antibodies have been raised against Ama isolated from human and experimental atherosclerotic plaque. ¹³¹I-Ama-MoAb in the whole antibody form was injected into normal NZW rabbits and Watanabe hyperlipidemic rabbits. Biodistribution studies showed that atheromatous aortas had a significantly higher (5-7X) uptake of ¹³¹I-Ama-MoAb than that of normal aortas. However, ¹³¹I-Ama-MoAb was cleared very slowly from atherosclerotic rabbits. As a result, atheromas could not be identified by imaging because of the low target to non-target ratios