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Carotid artery intima-media thickness is closely related to impaired left ventricular function in patients with

Kristin Evensen, Sebastian Imre Sarvari, Ole Morten Rønning

  • 1Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshopitalet, Postboks 4950 Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway. david.russell@medisin.uio.no.

Cardiovascular Ultrasound
|October 1, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is linked to reduced left ventricular (LV) function in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. This suggests IMT can help predict heart disease risk.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Vascular Ultrasound
  • Echocardiography

Background:

  • Atherosclerosis is a primary cause of myocardial infarctions and ischemic strokes.
  • Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) serves as a surrogate marker for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
  • Left ventricular (LV) function is accurately assessed using 2D speckle-tracking strain echocardiography (2D-STE).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between carotid IMT and LV dysfunction.
  • To evaluate LV function using strain echocardiography in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Main Methods:

  • Thirty-one CAD patients underwent coronary angiography, echocardiography, and carotid ultrasound.
  • Layer-specific longitudinal strains were assessed by 2D-STE.
  • LV global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) was correlated with maximal carotid IMT measurements.

Main Results:

  • Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.91 for strain versus coronary angiography.
  • An endocardial LVGLS cut-off value of -16.7% was determined.
  • Increased carotid IMT significantly correlated with reduced absolute LVGLS values (p=0.006), even after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated carotid IMT is associated with impaired LV function measured by strain echocardiography.
  • Carotid IMT measurements may aid in predicting the risk of coronary heart disease.
Abstract

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