Objective
High -resolution B mode ultrasound can measure the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the walls of the carotid arteries and the IMT correlates rather well to the presence of atherosclerotic narrowing of coronary arteries. This report describes carotid IMT in patients with who presented with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and in those who presented with stable angina pectoris (SAP).
Methods
We studied 146 patients who were <45 years old and categorized them into 3 groups. The first group consisted of 41 patients who had ACS. The second group consisted of 32 patients who had chronic SAP. The remaining 73 subjects were included in the control group. A high-resolution ultrasound system equipped with a 13-Mhz transducer was used for longitudinal scans of the far wall of the distal 2 cm of the 2 common carotid arteries, immediately proximal to the origin of the bifurcation, for assessing IMT. Three measurements of IMT were performed in the right and left carotid arteries and were averaged to determine the mean IMT for each side and for the 2 sides combined. Carotid plaques were defined as a focal widening of the vessel wall relative to the adjacent wall that protruded into the lumen. For analysis, plaques were defined as simple or complex depending on their extension, echogenic compositon and surface characteristics.
Methods
We studied 146 patients who were <45 years old and categorized them into 3 groups. The first group consisted of 41 patients who had ACS. The second group consisted of 32 patients who had chronic SAP. The remaining 73 subjects were included in the control group. A high-resolution ultrasound system equipped with a 13-Mhz transducer was used for longitudinal scans of the far wall of the distal 2 cm of the 2 common carotid arteries, immediately proximal to the origin of the bifurcation, for assessing IMT. Three measurements of IMT were performed in the right and left carotid arteries and were averaged to determine the mean IMT for each side and for the 2 sides combined. Carotid plaques were defined as a focal widening of the vessel wall relative to the adjacent wall that protruded into the lumen. For analysis, plaques were defined as simple or complex depending on their extension, echogenic compositon and surface characteristics.
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