The correlation of irregularities in carotid arterial intima-media thickness with coronary artery disease

Noninvasive ultrasonographic assessment of carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) can improve risk stratification for coronary artery disease (CAD) in certain patients. Several measurements have been used to evaluate carotid atherosclerosis by ultrasonography. Although it has been reported that angiographic arterial irregularities correlate with pathologic changes of atherosclerosis and the occurrence of cardiovascular events, only a few studies have assessed carotid arterial wall irregularity by ultrasonography. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the irregularity of IMT quantitatively, and its association with the presence or absence of CAD. The correlation of maximum and mean IMT values, and IMT irregularity with the presence or absence of CAD, was investigated in 90 patients who had undergone coronary angiography. IMT was measured by manual tracking of the far wall of the common carotid arteries, carotid bulbs, and internal carotid arteries. The IMT irregularity was defined as the root mean square (RMS) difference between each IMT and averaged IMT. Multiple logistic regression analysis, after adjustment for coronary risk factors, indicated that the RMS difference was a more accurate predictor of CAD than were the mean or maximum IMT values. These results indicate that the evaluation of IMT irregularity by ultrasonography is a useful predictor for the presence of coronary atherosclerosis. Received: March 13, 2002 / Accepted: June 15, 2002 Acknowledgment We are grateful to Hitachi Medical Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, for the computer software used for ultrasonographic measurement of intima-media thickness. Correspondence to T. Ishimitsu     

Unusual CD4+CD28− T lymphocyte subset is implicated in the pathogenesis of early atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis which is not fully explained by traditional risk factors. Such excess risk appears to be driven by systemic inflammation.

冠心病患者血脂水平与颈动脉及冠状动脉粥样硬化病变的关系

背景与目的血浆脂质水平与动脉粥样硬化程度密切相关，大多数的冠心病患者均有高脂血症，但并非所有高脂血症患者都有动脉及冠状动脉粥样硬化或冠心病。本文旨在研究血浆脂质的不同成份与颈动脉及冠状动脉粥样硬化病变之间的关系。材料与方法对125例因心绞痛、不明原因胸病或心肌梗塞而入院行选择性冠状动脉造影的患者作双侧颈动脉超声检查及血浆脂质水平测定，用Gensini法计算冠脉病变积分，用Crouse法计算颈动脉斑块积分，研究各血脂指标与冠脉病变支数、冠脉病变积分、颈动脉斑块积分之间的关系。结果与结论血浆总胆固醇浓度、低密度脂蛋白浓度及高脂血症病史，与冠脉病变支数、冠脉病变积分及颈动脉斑块积分均呈显著的正相关；高密度脂蛋白浓度则与上述各参数呈显著负相关。     

老年冠心病患者颈动脉结构和功能改变的特点

目的　探讨老年冠心病患者颈动脉结构和功能改变的特点。方法　将 1 1 7例经冠状动脉造影确诊为冠心病的患者分为 2组 ,老年组患者年龄 >60岁 ,共 64例 ,非老年组患者年龄≤ 60岁 ,共 53例 ;用超声方法检测所有患者颈动脉内中膜厚度 (IMT)、粥样硬化斑块及内径 ,并以同时测量的肱动脉血压值计算颈动脉弹性特征指标 ;比较两组间上述各项指标的差异。结果　老年组患者颈动脉斑块发生率、颈动脉斑块数和颈动脉内径显著高于对照组 ,IMT亦有高于对照组患者的趋势 (有临界性统计学意义 ) ,而半径 IMT比值两组间无差异。老年组患者的动脉扩张性显著低于非老年组患者 ,而僵硬指数显著高于非老年组患者 ,弹性特征指标两组间无明显差异。结论　老年冠心病患者IMT均匀增厚及颈动脉代偿性重塑作用接近极限 ,但颈动脉粥样硬化斑块发生率持续增加、斑块数量持续增多。老年冠心病患者的颈动脉僵硬度显著增高 ,而扩张性系数显著降低 ,提示年龄增长的生理性作用对动脉功能仍有重要影响。     

颈动脉粥样硬化斑块及内-中膜厚度与冠心病的关系

目的：探讨冠心病患者颈动脉粥样硬化斑块及内-中膜厚度与冠心病的关系。方法：对58例冠心病患者的颈动脉内一中膜厚度及斑块进行超声检测，与35例具有动脉粥样硬化危险因素的患者作对照。结果：冠心病患者的颈动脉内-中膜厚度、斑块指数及斑块检出率明显高于对照组(P均＜0．01)，颈动脉内-中膜厚度与年龄，血总胆固醇、收缩压水平，高血压病呈正相关(r＝0．267-0．532，P＜0.05-0．01)。结论：年龄、甘油三酯、收缩压、高血压病程及斑块指数与颈动脉内-中膜厚度密切相关。     

二维超声检测冠心病患者颈动脉粥样硬化病变

对103例经选择性冠状动脉造影的患者作双侧颈动脉超声检查，探讨了颈动脉超声检查的方法学以及颈动脉粥样硬化斑块的好发部位和超声分型，发现颈动脉粥样硬化斑块好发于颈动脉分叉处，以左侧多见，且多为扁平斑；颈动脉粥样硬化与冠状动脉粥样硬化之间有着密切的相关关系，冠状动脉病变支数越多，其颈动脉粥样硬化斑块积分也越高，不同冠状动脉病变组之间有非常显著的差异（P＜0．001）。     

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism is associated with both carotid and coronary atherosclerosis in patients with coronary artery disease

Background and aimsApolipoprotein E (apoE) polymorphism plays a significant role in the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the association between apoE polymorphism and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and severity and extent of coronary artery disease (CAD).Methods and resultsB-mode ultrasound and quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) were used to assess carotid, and coronary artery atherosclerosis in 91 patients with clinically suspected CAD referred for cardiac catheterization. Two apoE phenotype groups were defined: apoE3 (E3/E3) and apoE4 (including E4/E3, E4/E4 phenotypes). Maximum IMT was higher in the apoE4 group than in the apoE3 group (p = 0.022). The global atheroma burden index was similarly higher in the apoE4 group than in the apoE3 group (p = 0.033). ApoE4 subjects had higher levels of apolipoprotein B (apoB) (p = 0.008), triglycerides (p = 0.006), remnant lipoprotein-cholesterol (RLP-C) (p = 0.023), and lipoprotein(a) [(Lp(a)] (p = 0.041) than apoE3 subjects. The mean LDL particle size was smaller in the apoE4 group than in the apoE3 group (p = 0.041).ConclusionsApoE polymorphism was associated with both carotid and coronary atherosclerosis. Patients with the apoE4 isoform had an increased carotid IMT and a more severe and extensive CAD than patients with the apoE3 isoform.     

颈动脉内膜-中层厚度及斑块与冠心病的关系

目的:探讨颈动脉内膜 中层厚度(IMT)及斑块在判断冠心病(CHD)及其严重程度方面的价值。方法:对104例可疑或确诊的CHD患者,用高分辨率超声心动图测量双侧颈总动脉远端的 IMT、斑块与选择性冠状动脉造影结果进行对比研究,比较CHD组(62例)和非 CHD组(42 例)及 CHD各亚组间颈总动脉 IMT及斑块发生率,冠状动脉受累支数及程度与 IMT、斑块的关系。结果:①CHD患者的平均颈总动脉 IMT及斑块的发生率均显著高于非CHD组患者(P<0.01),多支病变者高于单支病变者(P<0.05)。②平均颈总动脉 IMT与CHD患者冠状动脉狭窄程度无显著相关( r=0.164,P>0.05),CHD患者中有斑块者的冠状动脉狭窄程度显著重于无斑块者(P<0.05);斑块积分与冠状动脉狭窄程度呈显著正相关( r=0.448, P<0.01)。③斑块的发生判断CHD的敏感性为40.32%,特异性为97.67%。结论:超声测量颈总动脉 IMT、斑块可间接判断 CHD的有无及其病变范围和严重程度。     

sICAM-1 measurements are independent of processing method and sampling site in patients with coronary artery disease

sICAM-1 measurements are here shown to be independent of processing method (serum, platelet rich and platelet poor plasma) and sampling size (venous or arterial blood) in patients with coronary disease.     

冠心病血管内皮功能、颈动脉硬化与冠脉病变的关系

目的：观察冠心病（CAD）患者内皮依赖性舒张功能及颈动脉粥样硬化的状况及与冠状动脉病变的相关性。方法：选经冠状动脉造影确诊为CAD的患者106例（观察组），冠状动脉造影证实无冠状动脉狭窄的健康者40例（正常对照组），采用二维超声检测肱动脉内皮依赖性和非依赖性舒张功能及颈动脉粥样硬化病变。颈动脉粥样硬化斑块积分采用Sutton法，并与冠状动脉病变程度进行对比分析。结果：CAD组内皮依赖性血管舒缩功能（FMD）比正常对照组明显降低（P〈0．01），内皮非依赖性血管舒缩功能与正常对照组比较无显著性差异（P〉0．05）；CAD组颈动脉内膜中层厚度（IMT），斑块积分显著高于正常对照组（P〈0．01）。FMD与冠脉病变程度呈负相关（r=-0．651，P〈0．001），颈动脉IMI及斑块积分与冠脉病变程度呈正相关（r=0．871，0．702，P〈0．001）。结论：内皮细胞功能障碍和颈动脉粥样硬化与冠状动脉粥样硬化的病变相平行。     

The carotid intima-media thickness as a marker of the presence of severe symptomatic coronary artery disease

High resolution ultrasound can be used for the accurate measurementof intima-media thickness (IMT). The within-observer coefficientof variation of the IMT of two carotids measured seven timeseach on different days by two different observers was between4% and 8%, and the mean absolute difference of the IMT of 68carotids measured independently by two observers was 0.11 ±0.11 mm (mean value ± SD). Seventy-five consecutive male patients who underwent coronaryangiography for assessment of chest pain and 40 normal controlsmatched for age and sex, were examined with high resolutionB-mode ultrasound. The IMT of the common carotid artery forthe controls was 0.71 ± 0.16 mm and for the patients0.91 ± 0.18 mm (P<0.005). In patients with normalcoronary angiogram the IMT was 0.73 ± 0.1 mm, and thisincreased in each of the subgroups with coronary stenosis comparedto patients who had a normal coronary angiogram. In the groupwith one-vessel disease it was 0.9± 0.17 mm (P<005,ANOVA), in the group with two-vessel disease it was 0.96 ±0.17 mm (P<0.01), and in the group with three-vessel diseaseit was 0.99 ± 0.21 mm (P<0.01). There was a significantlinear trend between IMT and the number of involved vessels(P<0.0001, r=0.44). An IMT>0.85 mm was derived from thestudied population of 75 patients as a criterion for the predictionof coronary artery disease (CAD). This criterion was prospectivelyevaluated in a further group of 32 consecutive patients, inwhom it could predict the presence of CAD with a specificityof 77%, a sensitivity of 43% and a positive predictive valueof 83%. Thus, an increased carotid IMT is a marker of coronary vasculardisease which can be measured non-invasively and may be usedas a biological marker of CAD in observational studies and clinicaltrials. In addition, an increased IMT may have considerableimportance as a screening tool for coronary atheroma.     

冠心病患者基础C-反应蛋白与颈动脉粥样硬化的关系

目的 探讨炎症标志物C-反应蛋白(CRP)与颈动脉粥样硬化的关系.方法 对120例冠心病患者(A组)和30例年龄匹配的健康志愿者(B组),分别行CRP检测和颈动脉超声检查,计算斑块指数,比较其相关性.结果 A组CRP明显高于B组,分别为(5.27±3.85)mg/L和(2.18±3.40)mg/L,P<0.01;A组斑块指数明显高于B组,分别为(4.51±2.75)和(1.24±0.37),P<0.01;冠心病组CPR与斑块指数呈正相关,r=0.36,P<0.01,差异有显著性意义.结论 冠心病患者CPR明显高于对照组,可反映颈动脉粥样硬化的程度.     

Carotid intima-media thickness in patients with isolated coronary artery ectasia

OBJECTIVE: Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) is now widely used as a surrogate marker for atherosclerotic disease. Carotid IMT measured by ultrasound has been shown to be correlated with coronary artery disease as defined by angiography. However, the relation between carotid IMT and isolated coronary artery ectasia (CAE) has not been investigated. The aim of our study was to assess this relation. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with isolated CAE without stenosis and 25 control subjects with angiographically normal coronary arteries were included in this study. These were examined by B-mode ultrasound to measure the IMT at the far wall of the common carotid artery. RESULTS: Patients with isolated CAE had significantly higher carotid IMT compared to control subjects with angiographically normal coronary arteries (0.95+/-0.12 versus 0.71+/-0.10mm respectively, p<0.0001). In addition, we detected a significant positive correlation between the presence of CAE and carotid IMT (r=0.748, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: We have shown for the first time an association between increased carotid IMT and isolated CAE, suggesting that atherosclerosis may be involved in the pathogenesis of isolated CAE in the adult population.     

冠心病患者腹部内脏脂肪厚度与冠状动脉狭窄程度的关系

目的探讨冠心病患者腹部内脏脂肪厚度（VFT）与冠状动脉狭窄程度的关系。方法对158例冠心病患者的冠状动脉狭窄（CAS）程度进行Gemini积分,应用超声测量VFT。结果与低值组比较,中、高值组患者腰围、体重指数、甘油三酯（TG）明显增高,高密度脂蛋白胆固醇（HDL-C）显著降低。随着VFT增加,Gensini积分明显增大。Gensini积分与年龄、腰围、体重指数、TG、低密度脂蛋白和胆固醇呈正相关,与HDL—C呈负相关。校正年龄、性别、腰围后,VFT仍然与Gensini积分相关,但进一步校正其他心血管危险因素后不再明显。结论VFT与冠状动脉狭窄程度关系密切。     

颈动脉内中膜厚度与冠心病的关系分析

目的：通过颈动脉内-中膜厚度（IMT）的测定,分析颈动脉粥样硬化与冠心病的关系。方法：对158例接受脉造影的患者行颈动脉IMT及斑块超声检查,比较有无冠脉病变及不同程度冠脉病变与颈动脉IMT的关系。结果：无冠心病者50例,冠心病单支病变组53例,多支病变组55例。冠心病患者的颈动脉IMT[单支病变（0．91±0．1）mm）,多支病变（1．08±0．15）min]分别明显高于非冠心病者[（0．83±0．08）mm,P均〈0．057,冠心病患者的斑块检出率[单支病变52．6％,多支病变65．7％]分别明显高于非冠心病者的32％（P均〈0．05）。多支冠状动脉病变组的颈动脉IMT及斑块检出率明显高于单支冠状动脉病变组（P均〈0．05）。结论：颈动脉粥样硬化对冠心病有一定的预测价值,颈动脉IMT可作为间接反映冠状动脉病变程度的指标。     

血清胆红素水平与冠心病发病及冠状动脉病变程度的相关性

目的探讨血清胆红素水平与冠心病(CAD)发病及冠状动脉病变程度的关系。方法收集9 847例行诊断性冠状动脉造影的疑诊CAD患者进行回顾性分析,以冠状动脉造影阳性(主要血管直径狭窄≥50%)作为诊断CAD的标准,将全部患者分为CAD和非CAD两组。冠状动脉造影病变程度采用Gensini积分评价,根据冠状动脉主要血管受累支数分为0支、单支、两支和三支病变组。分析血清胆红素水平与CAD发病及冠状动脉病变程度的关系。结果 9 847例患者中确诊CAD 6 419例(65.2%)。CAD组的总胆红素(TBIL)、直接胆红素(DBIL)、间接胆红素(IBIL)显著低于非CAD组(P<0.001),且TBIL、DBIL、IBIL水平越低,冠状动脉病变越严重。Logistic回归分析证实TBIL、DBIL是CAD的独立保护因素。结论血清胆红素水平降低患者的CAD发病率明显升高;血清胆红素水平越低,冠状动脉病变越严重;TBIL、DBIL是CAD的独立保护因素。     

Markers of inflammation, thrombosis and endothelial activation correlate with carotid IMT regression in stable coronary disease after atorvastatin treatment

Background and aimsMIAMI is a prospective multicenter clinical study designed to investigate the relationship between changes in carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT) and changes in circulating markers of inflammation, thrombosis and endothelial activation in stable coronary patients treated for 20 ± 3.7 months with 20 mg/day atorvastatin.Methods and resultsEighty-five subjects had their C-IMT, blood lipids and soluble markers measured at baseline, at the 12th month and at the end of the study. Almost all soluble markers decreased upon treatment except for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-18 (IL-18), tissue factor pathway inhibitor-free (TFPI-free) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecules-1 (sVCAM-1) which did not change significantly, and interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) which increased. sCD40L, fibrinogen, tissue factor pathway inhibitor-total (TFPI-total), soluble intercellular adhesion molecules-1 (sICAM-1), sE-selectin, interleukin-8 (IL-8) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) changed significantly even after application of the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Changes in lipids did not correlate with C-IMT regression either when considered singly or when combined in a lipid score. Changes in soluble markers correlated poorly with C-IMT regression when analyzed singly, but strongly when combined in relevant composite scores (inflammation/coagulation score, endothelial activation score, soluble markers score and total score).ConclusionIn patients with stable coronary artery disease treated with moderate doses of atorvastatin, carotid IMT regression correlated with changes of inflammation, thrombosis and endothelial activation profiles.     

Novel associations for coronary artery disease derived from genome wide association studies are not associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness, suggesting they do not act via early atherosclerosis or vessel remodeling

Background

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified associations with myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease (CAD), but the mechanisms underlying these associations remain largely unclear. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is a measure of early arterial remodeling and arteriosclerosis. Therefore, if CAD associated SNPs are also associated with carotid IMT; it suggests that they are acting via the early stages of the atherosclerotic process.

Methods

In three large community based independent populations (CAPS, KORA and Young Finns) of European ancestry in which common carotid IMT had been measured (total 4961 individuals), we determined whether SNPs that have been associated with CAD in GWAS studies are also associated with carotid IMT. Associations with plaque were not examined.

Results

We identified 11 SNPs and one haplotype previously associated with CAD. None of these were associated with common carotid IMT.

Conclusions

We found no evidence that SNPs associated with CAD on GWAS are also associated with carotid IMT. This suggests these genetic associations are not acting via early vessel remodeling or early arteriosclerosis.