title: Ultrasonographic measurement of intima-media thickness of the carotid artery before coronary artery bypass grafting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated the usefulness of measuring intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery by ultrasonography before coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-three patients who underwent carotid ultrasonography before CABG were selected for this study. The maximum IMT (max IMT) in the bilateral common carotid artery was used as the index of carotid ultrasonography. As a quantitative measure of coronary atherosclerosis, we calculated Gensini's coronary score (GCS) from the preoperative coronary angiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a positive correlation between the max IMT and the GCS. Furthermore, the max IMT of the patients with myocardial infarction was significantly greater than that of the patients with angina pectoris.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Carotid ultrasonography before CABG is useful, not only for the morphological evaluation of the stenotic lesions of the neck vessels, but also for the quantitative prediction of atherosclerosis in the native coronary artery. The max IMT may predict the progression of atherosclerotic change of the native coronary artery from angina pectoris to myocardial infarction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Wakayama Medical University, 811-1 Kimiidera, Wakayama 641-0012, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiharu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Hiroyoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sekii
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Atsutoshi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hatada
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hisaoka
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods; D014654:Vascular Patency / Q000502:physiology