Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the carotid artery wall elasticity between patients with uremia and controls using echo tracking (ET).
Methods: Ninety-three patients with uremia and 35 control subjects (Group A) were enrolled in this study. In the ET mode, the carotid artery elasticity parameters including stiffness index (β), pressure-strain elasticity modulus (EP), arterial compliance (AC), and one-point pulse wave velocity (PWVβ) were measured, and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured with B-mode ultrasonography. The patients were classified into three groups: Group B (normal IMT), Group C (thickened IMT), and Group D (one single atheroma plaque).
Results: β, EP, and PWVβ were significantly higher in Group B, C, and D (especially in group D) than those of the control group (P < 0.05), and there were significant differences between Group A and Group B, while AC was lower than in controls, but there were no statistically significant differences among the four groups.
Conclusions: ET is a noninvasive method that can demonstrate a loss in carotid artery elasticity in uremia patients with normal IMT.
Keywords: Carotid; Echo tracking; Elasticity; Intima–media thickness; Uremia.