Download PDF
Thromb Haemost 2002; 88(06): 961-966
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1613341
Involvement of Thrombin Receptors in the Subject-dependent Variability in Ca2+ Signal Generation
Schattauer GmbH

Arterial Intima-Media Thickness and its Relationship with Cardiovascular Disease and Atherosclerosis: A Possible Contribution of Medium-Sized Arteries

P. Bucciarelli
1   Angelo Bianchi Bonomi Hemophilia and Thrombosis Centre, IRCCS Maggiore Hospital and University of Milano, Italy
,
A. Šrámek
2   Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
,
J. H. C. Reiber
3   Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
,
F. R. Rosendaal
2   Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received 10 September 2002

Accepted 19 September 2002

Publication Date:
09 December 2017 (online)

Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

Summary

The intima-media thickness (IMT) of the arterial wall, measured by B-mode ultrasonography, has been related to cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis in many studies, most of which have considered carotid and common femoral arteries. No study has related the IMT of medium-sized arteries (e.g. brachial) to the atherosclerotic process. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether more peripheral arteries (e.g. brachial, superficial femoral and popliteal) represent a good model in studies of arterial wall IMT, as well as carotid artery. Twenty-six male patients with demonstrated coronary artery disease (median age 63 yrs; range 41–70) and twenty-four male controls (median age 62 yrs; range 53–74) were studied. The far-wall IMT of the common carotid, brachial, superficial femoral and popliteal arteries was measured by high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography. Its relationship with ischemic cardiovascular disease and the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in all the arteries was also evaluated. Mean IMT values were higher in patients than controls, more so in superficial femoral artery (IMT difference 0.08 mm [95% confidence interval 0.02 – 0.14]) and popliteal artery (0.08 [0.01–0.15]) than in common carotid artery (0.02 [−0.070.11]) or brachial artery (0.01[−0.01–0.03]). The difference did not change after adjustment for age. The prevalence of plaques was consistently higher in patients than controls, except for brachial artery, in which no plaque was found either in patients and controls. In all the arteries except brachial we found an association between increase in IMT and number of plaques. Age was strongly related to the presence of plaques in the carotid artery, and less markedly in superficial femoral and popliteal arteries.

The brachial artery does not seem a good model to study atherosclerosis by ultrasound measurements of arterial IMT, whereas superficial femoral and popliteal arteries might be chosen for these studies besides carotid artery.

Keywords

Intima-media thickness - medium-sized arteries - B-mode ultrasound - atherosclerosis
 

  • References

  • 1 Pignoli P, Tremoli E, Poli A, Oreste P, Paoletti R. Intimal plus medial thickness of the arterial wall: a direct measurement with ultrasound imaging. Circulation 1986; 74: 1399-406.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Pignoli P. Ultrasonic evaluation of arterial intima and media thickness: development and validation of methodology. In: Pathobiology of the human atherosclerotic plaque. Glagov S, Newmann WP, Schaffer SA. Springer Verlag; New York: 1990: 705-32.
    Google Scholar
  • 3 Baldassarre D, Sci B, Werba JP, Tremoli E, Poli A, Pazzucconi F, Sirtori CR. Common carotid intima-media thickness measurement. A method to improve accuracy and precision. Stroke 1994; 25: 1588-92.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Wong M, Edelstein J, Wollman J, Bond MG. Ultrasonic-pathological comparison of the human arterial wall. Verification of intima-media thickness. Arterioscler Thromb 1993; 13: 482-6.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Wikstrand J, Wendelhag I. Methodological considerations of ultrasound investigation of intima-media thickness and lumen diameter. J Intern Med 1994; 236: 555-9.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Siegel RJ, Chae JS, Maurer G, Berlin M, Fishbein MC. Histopathologic correlation of the three-layered intravascular ultrasound appearence of normal adult human muscular arteries. Am Heart J 1993; 126: 872-8.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Salonen JT, Salonen R. Ultrasonographically assessed carotid morphology and the risk of coronary heart disease. Arterioscler Thromb 1991; 11: 1245-9.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Burke GL, Evans GW, Riley WA, Sharrett AR, Howard G, Barnes RW, Rosamond W, Crow RS, Rautaharju PM, Heiss G. for the ARIC Study Group. Arterial wall thickness is associated with prevalent cardiovascular disease in middle-aged adults. Stroke 1995; 26: 386-91.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 O’Leary DH, Polak JF, Kronmal RA, Kittner SJ, Bond MG, Wolfson Jr SK, Bommer W, Price TR, Gardin JM, Savage PJ. on behalf of the CHS Collaborative Research Group. Distribution and correlates of sonographically detected carotid artery disease in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Stroke 1992; 23: 1752-60.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Salonen R, Salonen JT. Determinants of carotid intima-media thickness: a population-based ultrasonography study in Eastern Finnish men. J Intern Med 1991; 229: 225-31.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Crouse JR III, Craven TE, Hagaman AP, Bond MG. Association of coronary disease with segment-specific intimal-medial thickening of the extracranial carotid artery. Circulation 1995; 92: 1141-7.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 O’Leary DH, Polak JF, Kronmal RA, Manolio TA, Burke GL, Wolfson Jr SK. for the Cardiovascular Health Study Collaborative Research Group. Carotid-artery intima and media thickness as a risk factor for myocardial infarction and stroke in older adults. N Engl J Med 1999; 340: 14-22.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Bots MI, Witteman JCM, Grobbee DE. Carotid intima-media thickness in elderly women with and without atherosclerosis of the abdominal aorta. Atherosclerosis 1993; 102: 99-105.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Folsom AR, Wu KK, Shahar E, Davis CE. for the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Investigators. Association of hemostatic variables with prevalent cardiovascular disease and asymptomatic carotid artery atherosclerosis. Arterioscler Thromb 1993; 13: 1829-36.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Gariepy J, Massonneau M, Levenson J, Heudes D, Simon A. and the Group de Prevention Cardio-vasculaire en Médecine du Travail. Evidence for in vivo carotid and femoral wall thickening in human hypertension. Hypertension 1993; 22: 111-8.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Bots ML, Hofman A, de Bruyn AM, de Jong PTVM, Grobbee DE. Isolated systolic hypertension and vessel wall thickness of the carotid artery: the Rotterdam Elderly Study. Arterioscler Thromb 1993; 13: 64-9.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Sharrett AR, Patsch W, Sorlie PD, Heiss G, Bond MG, Davis CE. for the ARIC Investigators. Associations of lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoproteins A-I and B, and triglycerides with carotid atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Arterioscler Thromb 1994; 14: 1098-104.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Heiss G, Sharrett AR, Barnes R, Chambless LE, Szklo M, Alzola C. and the ARIC Investigators. Carotid atherosclerosis measured by B-mode ultrasound in populations: associations with cardiovascular risk factors in the ARIC Study. Am J Epidemiol 1991; 134: 250-6.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Bonithon-Kopp C, Touboul PJ, Berr C, Leroux C, Mainard F, Courbon D, Ducimetière P. Relation of intima-media thickness to atherosclerotic plaques in carotid arteries. The vascular aging (EVA) study. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 1996; 16: 310-6.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 Girerd X, Mourad JJ, Acar C, Heudes D, Chiche S, Bruneval P, Mignot JP, Billaud E, Safar M, Laurent S. Noninvasive measurement of medium-sized artery intima-media thickness in humans: in vitro validation. J Vasc Res 1994; 31: 114-20.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Celermajer DS, Sorensen KE, Gooch VM, Spiegelhalter DJ, Miller OI, Sullivan ID, Lloyd JK, Deanfield JE. Non-invasive detection of endothelial dysfunction in children and adults at risk of atherosclerosis. Lancet 1992; 340: 1111-5.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Hashimoto M, Eto M, Akishita M, Kozaki K, Ako J, Iijima K, Kim S, Toba K, Yoshizumi M, Ouchi Y. Correlation between flow-mediated vasodilatation of the brachial artery and intima-media thickness in the carotid artery in men. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 1999; 19: 2795-800.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Elsman BHP, Legemate DA, van der Heyden WHM, de Vos H, Mali WPTM, Eikelboom BC. The use of color-coded duplex scanning in the selection of patients with lower extremity arterial disease for percutaneous transluminal angioplasty: a prospective study. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 1996; 19: 313-6.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Sˇrámek A, Bosch JG, Reiber JHC, van Oostayen JA, Rosendaal FR. Ultrasound assessment of atherosclerosis vessel wall changes: reproducibility in carotid and femoral arteries. Invest Radiol 2000; 35: 699-707.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Persson J, Formgren J, Israelsson B, Berglund G. Ultrasound intima-media thickness and atherosclerosis. Direct and indirect validation. Arterioscler Thromb 1994; 14: 261-4.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Wendelhag I, Wiklund O, Wikstrand J. Atherosclerotic changes in the femoral and carotid arteries in familial hypercholesterolemia. Ultrasonographic assessment of intima-media thickness and plaque occurrence. Arterioscler Thromb 1993; 13: 1404-11.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar