Atherosclerotic disease in the femoral artery in hypertensive patients at high cardiovascular risk. The value of ultrasonographic assessment of intima-media thickness and plaque occurrence. Risk Intervention Study (RIS) Group.
The aim of the present investigation was to examine the occurrence of ultrasound-assessed morphological changes in the right common femoral artery and relate these findings to the ankle-arm index and to symptoms of lower-extremity arterial disease in hypertensive men at high cardiovascular risk (n = 143). Comparisons were made with a healthy reference group consisting of age-matched men at low risk (n = 46). The results showed that it was possible to obtain high-quality measurements of intima-media thickness in about 80% of all men and that the intraobserver variability was satisfactory (14%). A normal mean intima-media thickness was defined, using data from the low-risk group. Plaque occurrence and mean intima-media thickness in the right common femoral artery were significantly associated with ankle-arm index both in the right and left leg. There were more and larger plaques, as well as thicker mean and maximum intima-media complexes, in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group. In the high-risk group, 11% suffered from symptoms of right lower-extremity artery disease, 20% had an ankle-arm index < or= 0.9, 62% had moderate or large plaques (compared with 28% in the low-risk group, P < .001), and 77% had an enlarged intima-media complex. The cumulative frequency of signs of atherosclerosis in the right leg was 81% among the 110 patients in whom complete results from all examinations were available. Our conclusion is that ultrasound measurement of the intima-media thickness of the common femoral artery is a valuable method to evaluate morphological changes related to atherosclerotic disease in the lower extremity.
Suurküla
M
M
Department of Clinical Physiology, Göteborg University, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden.
Fagerberg
B
B
Wendelhag
I
I
Agewall
S
S
Wikstrand
J
J
D000368:Aged; D000842:Ankle / Q000098:blood supply; D000886:Anthropometry; D001132:Arm / Q000098:blood supply; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014463:Ultrasonography