The study was carried out in 60 patients with chest pain admitted at Nguyen Trai Hospital in order to assess the correlation between carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) with the atherosclerotic risk factors. Results: IMT of right carotid artery positively correlated with systolic blood pressure, LDL level and negative correlated with HDL level, IMT of left carotid artery positively correlated with LDL level. IMT was linearly related to the total number of vascular risk factors. IMT had closed correlation with the age of subjects
Carotid Artery Diseases ; Risk Factors ; Ultrasonography

Recently, duplex sonography has been used as a screening test for the evaluation of carotid arterial disease. If an occlusion of atherosclerosis is located at the bifurcation of the common carotid artery or the lower portion of the internal carotid artery, the luminal change may be directly visualized on high-resolution B-mode sonography or color-Doppler images. But when the lesion is located at the high cervical, petrous or cavernous protion of the internal carotid artery, it is difficult to directly visualize the lesion with the sonography. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the indirect changes on the Doppler patterns of both common carotid arteries with clamping of an internal carotid artery. Thirty common carotid arteries in fifteen normal rabbits were examined with duplex ultrasonography using high-resolution real-time imaging and 7.5MHz pulsed-wave Doppler flow measurements with velocity waveform analysis. Systolic velocity (SV) was 45.4±8.4cm/sec, end-diastolic velocity (EDV) 15.3±4.9cm/sec and resistative index(RI) 0.66±0.08 in the common carotid artery before clamping of the internal carotid artery. SV was 26.3±7.8cm/sec, EDV 6.0±5.2cm/sec and RI 0.78±0.18 in the ipsilateral common carotid artery and SV was 56.6±13.0cm/sec, EDV 22.3±8.2cm. sec and RI 0.61±0.10 in the contralateral common carotid artery after clamping of the internal carotid artery. During clamping of the internal carotid artery, the difference between SV of bilateral common carotid arteries was 30.3±13.8cm/sec and EDV 16.3±9.2cm/sec. There was no difference of the velocity patterns of the common carotid artery between preclamping and declamping of the internal carotid artery. In conclusion, lower SV and EDV in a common carotid artery than that in contralateral side on Doppler patterns strongly suggests an occlusion of ipsilateral internal carotid artery.
Atherosclerosis ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; Carotid Artery, Common* ; Carotid Artery, Internal* ; Constriction* ; Mass Screening ; Phenobarbital ; Rabbits ; Ultrasonography

Insulin independent diabetes is considered as a metabolic and vascular disease that causes vascular complications in which atherosclerosis rate was common. 70-75% of type II diabetic patients was dead due to complications of atherosclerosis such as myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, and arteritis obliterans in lower limb. A study on 114 type 2 diabetic patients (female: 90) with ages of 62, without obesity and 40 persons without diabetes has shown that the rate of carotid atherosclerosis in type II diabetic patients was high, the ages of lesion occurring in type II diabetic patients less 10 years than this in persons without type 2 diabetes. In addition to, traditional risks such as ages, phase of disease, there was correlation between thickness of atherosclerosis plaque and blood fibrinogen as well as abdominal measurement
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; diagnosis ; ultrasonography

PURPOSE: To evaluate the findings of carotid ultrasonography performed on patients with retinal vascular disease and to determine the risk of cardiovascular disease and association of retinal vascular disease and cardiovascular disease. METHODS: From December 2009 to May 2012, patients diagnosed with central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO, n = 18), central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO, n = 23), and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO, n = 68) underwent carotid ultrasonography. We evaluated the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery (CCA) and the internal carotid artery (ICA), stenosis and the number of plaques, and then compared these results with those of a healthy control group (n = 221). RESULTS: The mean CCA-IMT and ICA-IMT were significantly higher in the CRAO and BRVO groups compared with the control group. On the contralateral side, CCA-IMT was increased in the CRAO, BRVO, and CRVO groups and ICA-IMT was increased in the CRAO and BRVO groups compared with the control group. Contralateral CCA stenosis was higher in the CRVO group (9.1%) and ipsilateral ICA stenosis in CRAO group (21.7%) was significantly higher than that of the control group. Plaque was observed better in all groups compared with the control group. The proportion of patients risk for cardiovascular disease, i.e. those who had IMT thickenesses more than 1.0 mm, was higher in the CRAO and BRVO groups compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The carotid ultrasound findings of patients with retinal vascular diseases showed increased IMT and plaque. The group of patient at risk for cardiovascular disease, which was defined with carotid artery IMT, was higher in patients with retinal vascular disease. Therefore, in patients with retinal vascular disease, carotid artery ultrasonography and the overall management and treatment of cardiovascular disease are necessary.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Ultrasonography ; Humans ; Retinal Artery Occlusion ; Retinal Vein ; Retinal Vein Occlusion ; Retinaldehyde* ; Ultrasonography* ; Vascular Diseases*

BACKGROUND: B-mode ultrasonography of the peripheral arterial vessels appears to provide the most accurate assessment of the extent of atherosclerotic diseases. Because of their easy availablility to ultrasound scanning, the extracranial carotid arteries can be used as windows to or indicator sites for generalized atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the major cause of the morbidity and mortality among the elderly. The goal of the study was to assess the prevalence and severity of carotid atherosclerosis in the Korean elderly as an index of generalized atherosclerosis using ultrasound. METHODS: High-resolution B-mode ultrasound examinations of the carotid arteries were made in 110 consecutive elderly cases for noncardiovascular surgery. The carotid arteries were explored with both longitudinal and transverse scans. Ultrasound examinations included measurements of the intimal-medial thickness and the percent stenosis. RESULTS: The global prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis was 93.5% in men, 70.3% in women and 80.0% as a whole. Men had the greater frequency and severity of stenosis at all ages than women. The prevalence of severe stenosis was quite low, 2.7% as a whole. The prevalences of mild and moderate stenosis were 44.5% and 32.7%, respectively. Local atherosclerotic lesions were much more prevalent in the carotid bifurcation than in internal and common carotid arteries. CONCLUSIONS: In the elderly, the incidence of carotid atherosclerosis was high, while the frequency of severe disease was low. More diseases were found in men than in women at all ages.
Aged* ; Atherosclerosis ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery Diseases* ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Mortality ; Prevalence* ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the extent of coronary artery disease assessed by the Gensini score and/or the SYNTAX score and the significant carotid stenosis in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 225 patients who had carotid doppler ultrasonography prior to CABG were included retrospectively. Significant coronary artery disease was assumed as a lumen diameter stenosis of ≥50% in any of the major epicardial coronary arteries. The severity of carotid stenosis was determined by B-mode and duplex ultrasonography. Clinically significant carotid stenosis was defined as peak systolic velocity greater than 125 cm/s. RESULTS: The mean value of SYNTAX score and Gensini score was highest in patients allocated to significant carotid stenosis (22.98±7.32, p<0.001 and 77.40±32.35, p<0.001, respectively). The other risk factors for significant carotid stenosis were found to be male gender (p=0.029), carotid bruit (p<0.001), diabetes (p=0.021), left main disease (p=0.002), 3-vessel disease (p=0.008), chronic total coronary occlusion (p=0.001), and coronary artery calcification (p=0.001) in univariate analysis. However, only the Gensini score (odds ratio[OR]=1.030, p=0.004), carotid bruit (OR=0.068, p<0.001), and male gender (OR=0.190, p=0.003) were the independent predictors. The Gensini score cut off value predicting significant carotid stenosis was 50.5 with 77% sensitivity (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The Gensini score may be used to identify patients at high risk for significant carotid stenosis prior to CABG.
Carotid Arteries* ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; Carotid Stenosis* ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Occlusion ; Coronary Vessels ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Ultrasonography ; Ultrasonography, Doppler

Although increased intima-media thickness of common carotid artery independently predicts cardiac outcomes, the clinical significance of carotid intima-media thickness in patients with diagnosed coronary artery disease is still controversial. However, the presence of carotid plaques is clearly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease, and more aggressive medical treatment is required in this occasion. In addition, carotid disease is commonly associated with coronary artery disease, and the detection of asymptomatic significant carotid stenosis in patients with coronary artery disease may modify treatment strategy and reduce the risk of stroke. Therefore, the screening of carotid atherosclerosis using ultrasound can be helpful in patients with coronary artery disease.
Carotid Artery Diseases ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Carotid Stenosis ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Stroke ; Ultrasonography*

Objective: To establish reference values for carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) of adult dwellers in Shenzhen City. Methods: The study was conducted based on the Shenzhen heart failure epidemiological survey from 2021 to 2022. In this survey, residents aged 18 years and above in Shenzhen were selected by using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method. General information, cardiovascular disease (CVD) related behavior and carotid ultrasound examination and etc. were collected from the participants. People with CVD factors, a history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, carotid plaque or having no carotid ultrasound examination results were excluded. The parameter regression model based on fractional polynomial was used to establish the reference values of CIMT by age and sex. Results: A total of 2 163 healthy individuals were enrolled in the final analysis, including 576 males (26.6%) and 1 587 females (73.4%). The fractional polynomial regression of the CIMT mean and standard deviation was obtained. For men, the regression was mean_CIMT=0.324 7+0.006 9×age and SD_CIMT=0.076 9+0.001 2×age. For women, the regression was mean_CIMT=0.354 9+0.005 4×age and SD_CIMT=0.041 6+0.002 0×age. Conclusion: The age and sex reference values for CIMT of adult people in Shenzhen established in this study could provide the latest reference standards for early screening of subclinical CVD.
Male ; Humans ; Adult ; Female ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Reference Values ; Carotid Arteries/diagnostic imaging* ; Ultrasonography, Carotid Arteries ; Risk Factors ; Carotid Artery Diseases

Extracranial carotid artery aneurysm is a rare disease. A 72-year-old man was admitted with a painful neck mass for 5 days. Neck CT angiography and carotid duplex ultrasonography revealed a fusiform aneurysm of the left carotid bifurcation with a thrombus. His symptoms improved after anticoagulation therapy. The thrombus decreased in size and ultimately disappeared, as evidenced by serial duplex examinations. Carotid duplex ultrasonography is a simple and useful tool for diagnosis and follow-up.
Aged ; Aneurysm ; Angiography ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Neck ; Rare Diseases ; Thrombosis ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex

Carotid ultrasound is an imaging modality that allows non-invasive assessment of vascular anatomy and function. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) has been shown to predict cardiovascular (CV) risk in multiple large studies. However, in 2013, American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines designated that the carotid IMT as class III evidence level was not recommended for use in clinical practice as a routine measurement of risk assessment for a first atherosclerotic CV event. Following the announcement of this guideline, combined common carotid IMT and plaque, including plaque tissue characterization and plaque burden, using 3D ultrasound was reported to be better than either measurement alone in a variety of studies. Moreover, changes in the intima thickness were related to aging and early atherosclerosis, and remodeling of the media thickness was associated with hypertension. Separate measurement is useful for evaluating the effects of different atherosclerotic risk factors on the arterial wall; however, a more detailed and elaborate technique needs to be developed. If so, separate measurement will play an important role in the assessment of atherosclerosis and arterial wall change according to a variety of risk factors, such as metabolic syndrome. In addition, although carotid blood flow velocity is a useful tool for risk classification and prediction in clinical practice, further clinical research is needed. The value of carotid IMT by ultrasound examination for risk stratification remains controversial, and groups developing future guidelines should consider the roles of plaque presence and burden and hemodynamic parameters in additional risk stratification beyond carotid IMT in clinical practice.
Aging ; Atherosclerosis* ; Blood Flow Velocity ; Carotid Arteries* ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Carotid Stenosis ; Classification ; Heart ; Hemodynamics ; Hypertension ; Methods* ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Ultrasonography*