Intima-medial thickness homogeneity in the common carotid artery: Measurement method and preliminary clinical study

摘要

Background: To propose and test in a preliminary clinical study a novel method for calculating intima-medial thickness (IMT) homogeneity (IMTH). Methods: IMT was measured off-line on every horizontal pixel line along the far wall of the common carotid artery, with previously validated software. IMTH was assessed by the SD, coefficient of variation, and interval distribution of obtained IMT values. This method was applied to 129 individuals (age, 40-60 years), including 49 healthy control subjects, 44 subjects at high risk of atherosclerosis, and 36 subjects with known atherosclerosis. Differences with a p value <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: SD and coefficient of variation were higher in the high-risk than in the control group, as well as in high-risk and control subgroups with maximal IMT = 0.8 mm or mean IMT = 0.55-0.65 mm. There were 85.7, 62.8, and 36% of IMT values in the 0.4- to 0.6-mm range and 0.89, 13.8, and 21.2% of IMT values in the 0.8- to 1.2-mm range in the control, high-risk, and atherosclerosis groups, respectively. Conclusions: IMTH is a promising approach for the assessment of atherosclerosis, in addition to conventional IMT measurement. Further clinical studies are needed to assess its clinical usefulness.