[Carotid intimal-medial thickening and endothelial function in coronary artery disease].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlation between the endothelial function and the carotid intimal-medial thickening (IMT) in a population of patients with coronary artery disease, as well as that between the endothelial function and carotid IMT with the severity of the coronary lesions.


METHODS
Forty-three patients aged 60.5+/-9.2 years, (67.4% males) with coronary artery disease at the coronariography were studied. Endothelial function was assessed using the brachial artery reactivity test (BART), which measured the percentage of flow-mediated dilatation (%FMD). The carotid IMT was evaluated through vascular ultrasound.


RESULTS
The mean %FDM was 4.7 +/- 3.6 and the mean carotid IMT was 1.08 +/- 0.23 mm. The carotid MIT and %FMD measurements showed a statistically significant correlation, with Spearmans coefficient of 0.315, p= 0.042, demonstrating that lower %FMD values corresponded to an increased carotid IMT (r = -0.315, p = 0.042). There was no correlation between %FMD or IMT and the severity of coronary lesions.


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of a correlation between carotid IMT and %FMD demonstrates a concomitance of anatomical and functional vascular alterations in coronary artery disease, regardless of the severity of the atherosclerotic lesions.
Chequer
Graziela
G
Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. grazichequerr@hotmail.com
Nascimento
Bruno Ramos
BR
Navarro
Túlio Pinho
TP
Falqueto
Eduardo Belisário
EB
Alencar
Maria Clara N
MC
de Miranda
Márcio Cristiano R
MC
Mandil
Ari
A
Saad
Jamil Abdalla
JA
Fonseca
Cirilo
C
Ribeiro
Antônio Luiz Pinho
AL
D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000209:etiology; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006940:Hyperemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology