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Femoral Artery Ultrasound Examination

Pierleone Lucatelli1, Corrado Fagnani2, Adam Domonkos Tarnoki3

  • 11 Department of Radiology, Oncology and Anatomic Pathology, Vascular and Interventional Radiology Unit, Policlinico Umberto I, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Angiology
|May 29, 2016
PubMed

Insights

In healthy individuals, atherosclerotic plaques are more common in the common femoral artery (CFA) than the common carotid artery (CCA). This suggests CFA ultrasonography may aid cardiovascular risk screening.

Area of Science:

  • Vascular Biology and Atherosclerosis
  • Cardiovascular Imaging and Diagnostics

Background:

  • Intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque prevalence are key indicators of subclinical atherosclerosis.
  • Previous research has primarily focused on carotid arteries, with less attention to femoral arteries in healthy populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare intima-media thickness (IMT) and atherosclerotic plaque prevalence between the common carotid artery (CCA) and common femoral artery (CFA) in apparently healthy adults.
  • To evaluate the potential role of CFA ultrasonography in cardiovascular risk assessment.

Main Methods:

  • Multicenter study involving 322 healthy participants (mean age 52.1 years).
  • Echo-color Doppler examination of bilateral CCA and CFA.
  • Assessment of plaque prevalence, composition, and IMT.

Main Results:

  • Mean CFA-IMT (0.73 mm) was significantly higher than mean CCA-IMT (0.70 mm) (P < .01).
  • Plaque prevalence was significantly higher in the CFA (40.7%) compared to the CCA (30.4%).
  • Atherosclerotic plaques were found in CFA only in 38% of cases, and in both arteries in 46%.

Conclusions:

  • Atherosclerotic plaques are more prevalent in the CFA than the CCA in a healthy population.
  • Over one-third of healthy individuals exhibited plaques in the CFA but not the CCA.
  • Further research is warranted to determine if CFA ultrasonography can be integrated into cardiovascular risk screening protocols.

Keywords:
cardiovascular riskcommon carotid artery plaquecommon femoral artery plaqueintima–media thickness

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