Common femoral artery intima-media thickness as marker for cardiovascular disease in asymptomatic adults.
BACKGROUND
The common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is considered as a marker of cardiovascular disease, while the value of the common femoral IMT is not well defined. The aim of the present study was to investigate the value of common femoral IMT alone or in combination with the common carotid IMT as a marker of cardiovascular disease in asymptomatic adults.


METHODS
Eighty-three individuals with no history of cardiovascular disease were subjected to IMT measurement of both common carotid and common femoral arteries with high-resolution ultrasonography. The Framingham Heart Study (FHS) risk score was calculated for each subject (according to gender) and was correlated with the carotid IMT, femoral IMT, and the combined IMT measured at both arterial sites.


RESULTS
The carotid and femoral IMT separately and in combination were found to be correlated with the FHS risk score, calculated based on either the total cholesterol or low density lipoprotein plasma levels (carotid IMT: r = 0.28, p = 0.035, and r = 0.35, p = 0.007, respectively, femoral IMT: r = 0.38, p = 0.003, and r = 0.43, p = 0.001, respectively, carotid-femoral IMT: r = 0.37, p = 0.005, and r = 0.46, p = 0.0001, respectively). In addition, femoral IMT was found to be correlated with the carotid IMT (r = 0.41, p = 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Common carotid and common femoral IMT showed similar correlation with the FHS risk score. Additionally, the combination of IMT from both arterial sites was found to have similar correlation with the FHS risk score to carotid IMT alone.
Giannoukas
A D
AD
Department of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Larissa, Greece. giannouk@med.uth.gr
Antoniou
G A
GA
Saleptsis
V
V
Baros
C
C
Griffin
M
M
Nicolaides
A N
AN
D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography
D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D002784:Cholesterol