Correlation of femoral intima-media thickness and the severity of coronary artery disease

Angiology. 2011 Feb;62(2):134-9. doi: 10.1177/0003319710375087. Epub 2010 Aug 11.

Abstract

The carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) is an established surrogate marker of vascular risk. We assessed the common femoral artery IMT and its correlation with coronary artery disease (CAD). We also assessed the influence of vascular risk factors on the femoral IMT. Patients (n = 180; mean age 60.4 ± 10.5 years) who had undergone coronary angiography due to symptoms of CAD were enrolled in this study. We found significantly higher values of femoral IMT in patients with CAD than in those without CAD (P = .0000). A strong positive correlation between femoral IMT and the severity of CAD expressed by the Gensini Score (P = .0000) was observed. There was a positive correlation between femoral IMT and levels of triglycerides (P = .017), body mass index (BMI; P = .036), male gender (P = .0000), and smoking (P = .028). There was a negative correlation between femoral IMT and the level of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P = .001). Femoral IMT could be a novel cardiovascular risk marker.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Body Mass Index
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cholesterol / blood
  • Coronary Artery Disease / blood
  • Coronary Artery Disease / diagnosis*
  • Coronary Artery Disease / etiology
  • Female
  • Femoral Artery / diagnostic imaging
  • Femoral Artery / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Risk Factors
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Tunica Intima / diagnostic imaging
  • Tunica Intima / pathology*
  • Tunica Media / diagnostic imaging
  • Tunica Media / pathology*
  • Ultrasonography

Substances

  • Cholesterol