The Usefulness of High-Resolution Carotid Ultrasonography for the Detection of Subclinical Atherosclerosis

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to evaluate diagnostic possibilities of the high-resolution carotid ultrasonography for determining early manifestations of atherosclerosis taking into account gender and lipid profile differences of patients. Patients and methods: In this case-control setting, we included 431 subjects aged 55 to 79 years with no history of hypertension, ischemic heart disease, heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Non-invasive assessment of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) was held by high-resolution carotid ultrasonography. Results: We detected the atherosclerotic lesions in more than 50% of the patients. The appearance of atherosclerotic plaques in carotid arteries was associated with gender and alterations in the lipid spectrum of blood. Conclusion: The high-resolution carotid ultrasonography combined with blood lipid spectrum test could be considered as a screening method to reveal early atherosclerosis.

Keywords

• Atherosclerosis
• Carotid intima-media thickness
• High-resolution carotid ultrasonography