Association of Coronary Artery Disease with B-Mode Ultrasonographic Intima-Media Thickness of the Carotid Artery

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Many autopsy studies have shown that the extent of extracranial carotid and coronary artherosclerosis is correlated and B-mode ultrasonographic intima-media thickness(IMT) and histologic IMT have been good correlation. In recent years. as it has been reported that IMT of carotid artery had something to do with risk factors of atherosclerosis and occurrence of coronary artery disease, in this study, we tried to investigate if the grade of atherosclerosis in B-mode ultrasonography of carotid artery could predict coronary artery disease and have something to do with the severity of coronary artery disease. METHODS: We classified the patients who were examined coronary angiography into control group without significant(>50%) stenosis(11 patients) and coronary artery disease(CAD) group(45 patients) according to the existence of significant stenosis, and we subdivided CAD group into single vessel disease(SVD) group(25 patients) and multivessel disease(MVD) group(20 patients). Practicing B-mode ultrasonography of common carotid artery(CCA), carotid artery bifurcation(BIF) and internal carotid artery(ICA), we measured IMT and IMT/L(lumen diameter) of each segment. Adding all values of each segment, we got mean aggregated IMT and mean aggregated IMT/L. RESULTS: 1) As IMT of left BIF in both six segments, control group was 0.55+/-0.16mm, SVD group was 0.71+/-0.36mm and MVD group was 1.02+/-0.61mm. So compared with control group and SVD, MVD group were significantly thick. As IMT/L, control group was 0.07+/-0.02, SVD group 0.08+/-0.05 and MVD group was 0.13+/-0.08. So compared with control group and SVD, MVD group was ignificantly high. 2)IMT of BIF in three segments, control group was 0.59+/-0.16mm, CAD group was 0.82+/-0.47mm and MVD group was 0.90+/-0.54mm. So compared with control group and CAD, MVD group were significantly thick. Also as IMT/L of BIF, compared with control group(0.07+/-0.02) and CAD(0.10+/-0.06), MVD(0.11+/-0.07) group was high.= 3) As mean aggregated IMT, control group was 0.57+/-0.34mm, CAD group was 0.69+/-0.45mm, SVD group was 0.63+/-0.12mm and MVD group was 0.74+/-0.21mm. So CAD group was thicker than control group and MVD group was thicker than SVD group. As mean aggregated IMT/L, control group was 0.07+/-0.03, CAD group was 0.10+/-0.05, SVD group was 0.09+/-0.01 and MVD group was 0.11+/-0.03. So CAD group was higher than control group and MVD group was higher than SVD group. CONCLUSION: These data support use of the mean aggregated B-mode ultrasonographic IMT and IMT/L in carotid bifurcation for correlation with the status of coronary atherosclerosis.