Comparative Evaluation of Carotid Ultrasound and Coronary Angiography in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Introduction: Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease affecting various arteries, with coexisting carotid and coronary artery disease (CAD) leading to worse clinical outcomes. The diagnostic gold standard for CAD, coronary angiography (CAG), is an invasive procedure. Carotid ultrasound offers a noninvasive method to detect early atherosclerotic changes like increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). Aim: The aim is to assess the correlation between carotid CIMT and plaque characteristics on ultrasonography (USG) with CAD severity as determined by CAG. Materials and Methods: 100 angiographically diagnosed CAD patients aged 18–80 years were subjected to ultrasound of bilateral carotid arteries for IMT and plaque evaluation. The results were compared with CAG findings. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Elevated CIMT (≥0.8 mm) was seen in 76% of patients, with a mean CIMT of 1.048 mm. Higher CIMT was significantly associated with age, male sex, smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and the presence of plaques. Carotid plaques were common at the carotid bulb, on the right side, and type 4 morphology was most frequent. CIMT and the number of plaques showed a strong correlation with CAD severity, particularly in multi-vessel disease. Conclusion: Increased CIMT and carotid plaques are significant, noninvasive markers of CAD severity. Carotid USG serves as a cost-effective screening tool for early atherosclerosis detection.