[Measurement of carotid artery intima-media thickness. Analysis and reproducibility]

The intima-media thickness of the carotid artery is a cardiovascular risk factor, especially in hypertensive, diabetic or dyslipidemic patients. Very accurate tools of measurement are essential in order to optimise the analysis of the severity of the vascular lesions. Present methods use computer programmes for ultrasonic image enhancement and have already been shown to be very reproducible. However, there is still room for improvement in the detection of lesions at their initial stage of development and in the follow-up of their progression with or without antihypertensive or lipid lowering drugs.