Decreased carotid intima???media thickness in patients with coronary artery ectasia compared with patients with coronary artery disease

In Brief Background Although atherosclerosis is supposed to be responsible for more than 50% of coronary artery ectasia, the precise pathology of coronary artery ectasia is not clearly understood. A histopathological examination of ectatic segments has revealed mainly destruction of the media layer of the artery. In the present study, we assessed carotid intima–media thickness and common carotid artery diameter in patients with and without coronary artery ectasia. Materials and methods Thirty-five consecutive patients with coronary artery ectasia and coronary artery disease and 35 age and sex-matched patients with coronary artery disease alone were included in the study. The common carotid artery was studied as the longitudinal plane within 10 mm from the bifurcation of the common carotid artery. The intima–media thickness was measured in the far wall at end-diastole from the B-mode screen to a point within the 10-mm segment proximal to the bifurcation by one investigator blinded to clinical data. Results No significant differences with respect to age, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia and smoking habits were observed between the two groups studied. Intima–media thickness of the common carotid artery of the patients with coronary artery ectasia was significantly lower than that of the patients with coronary artery disease alone (0.71±0.13 vs. 0.77±0.09 mm, respectively, P=0.04). Conclusion Decreased intima–media thickness of the carotid artery in patients with coronary artery ectasia and coronary artery disease may have pathogenic mechanisms different from coronary artery disease per se. In the present study, we assessed carotid intima–media thickness in 35 consecutive patients with coronary artery ectasia and coronary artery disease and 35 age and sexmatched patients with coronary artery disease alone. Intimamedia thickness of the common carotid artery of the patients with coronary artery ectasia was significantly lower than that of the patients with coronary artery disease alone (0.7170.13 vs. 0.7770.09 mm, respectively P=0.04). This finding gives rise to the possibility that the etiology of coronary artery ectasia may have other pathogenicmechanisms different from coronary artery disease.