December 1, 1997Stroke
Increased Common Carotid Intima-Media Thickness
Population
n=1715 participants from the Rotterdam Study, a population-based cohort of subjects aged 55 years and over…
Design
Cross-sectional
Authors
Discussion
Loading...
Member takes
Implication
IMT >1.10 mm may indicate atherosclerosis rather than adaptation; leaves open whether this threshold refines stroke risk stratification.
Key Points
- To evaluate the relation of common carotid intima-media thickness to lumen diameter and tensile stress to determine whether wall thickening reflects an adaptive response or atherosclerosis.
- Cross-sectional analysis of 1,715 participants aged 55 years and older from the population-based Rotterdam Study.
- Ultrasonographic quantification of common carotid artery end-diastolic lumen diameter and intima-media thickness (IMT).
- Approximated tensile stress using mean arterial pressure multiplied by the ratio of lumen diameter to IMT.
- Inner and outer lumen diameters increased gradually with rising IMT, but inner lumen diameter decreased once IMT exceeded 1.10 mm.
- Tensile stress increased with increasing lumen diameter rather than remaining constant, while the lumen-to-IMT ratio remained constant across mean arterial pressure levels.
Structured PICO
P
Population
n=1715 participants from the Rotterdam Study, a population-based cohort of subjects aged 55 years and over who underwent ultrasonographic examination of the carotid arteries.
O
Outcome
Relation of common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) to common carotid end-diastolic lumen diameter and tensile stresssurrogate
Carotid IMT thickening at lower degrees appears to reflect an adaptive equilibrium state, whereas beyond 1.10 mm it more likely represents atherosclerosis.
Cite This Study
Bots et al. (1997) studied this question.