Clinical Valuation Of Carotid Atherosclerosis' Predicting Coronary Artery Disease And The Analysis Of It's Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to use high-resolution ultrasonography to evaluate clinical valuation of carotid atherosclerosis' predicting coronary artery disease and to analyse the influence of vascular risk factors on carotid artery atherosclerosis.METHODS: 105 Patients hospitalized for coronary angiography because of chest pain, acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris were devided into normal and 1, 2, 3-vessel groups. B-mode ultrasonography was used to investigate the carotid intima-media thickness, plague number, score and area. Meanwhile, we collected risk factors as gender, age, smoking, blood pressure, glucose, plasma total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein level and difined as carotid atherosclerosis if its intima-media thickness was superior to 1.2mm or there was plaque. Multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between risk factors and carotid atherosclerosis.RESULTS: 1. The more serious the coronary artery disease, the thicker maximum intima-media thickness and the more plague number, score , area in carotid artery were. There was a statistically significant value. Carotid atherosclerosis detected coronary artery disease with a sensitivity, specificity and accuracy value of 67.1%, 70.0%, 67.6%, respectively.2. Logistic models indicated that age and smoking were strong andsignificant variables and their OR value were 1.093, 2.265, respectively. Other risk factors couldn't show the influence on carotid atherosclerosis.CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong and significant relation between carotid artery atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Also there are similar risk factors between them. Carotid artery atherosclerosis is a marker of coronary artery disease which can be measured non-invasively.