Evaluation Of Atherosclerosis Severity Based On Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness Changes: A New Diagnostic Criterion

Abstract

This study aimed to identify instant intima-media thickness changes (ΔIMT) in the common carotid artery (CCA) during cardiac cycle in order to assess atherosclerosis progression. Using a computerized semi-automated method, instant IMT changes were extracted in the two walls of the left CCA (240 consecutive patients) using B-mode ultrasound images. We found that CCA ΔIMT increased from 8 ± 4% of IMT_max in the controls to 15 ± 6% of IMT_max in the severe stenosis group. According to the multiple ordinal regression analysis, ΔIMT was associated with the severity of carotid artery stenosis (odds ratio [OR], 4.95; p < 0.001), independent of sex (OR, 1.11; p = 0.04), age (OR, 1.14; p < 0.001), body mass index; OR, 1.13; p = 0.036), hypertension (OR, 2.04; p < 0.001), diabetes (OR, 1.38; p = 0.045) and hyperlipidemia (OR, 1.54; p = 0.002). We concluded that increment of CCA ΔIMT during the cardiac cycle was strongly and independently associated with severity of carotid artery stenosis or atherosclerosis progression.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Carotid intima-media thickness; Signal and image processing; Ultrasonics.