title: Carotid artery longitudinal displacement predicts 1-year cardiovascular outcome in patients with suspected coronary artery disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Total longitudinal displacement (tLoD) of the common carotid artery can be measured using the ultrasound-based velocity vector imaging (VVI) technique. This study aimed to investigate clinical correlates and the possible predictive value of tLoD for cardiovascular outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred forty-one patients referred for myocardial perfusion scintigraphy examination for suspected coronary artery disease were recruited and underwent VVI-assisted tLoD measurement. Patients were followed up with regard to major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) 1 year later. Low tLoD (≤ 0.055 mm) was associated with greater clinically determined myocardial ischemia (P<0.01). During a median follow-up time of 372 days, 61 MACEs occurred. In a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, high tLoD (>0.055 mm) predicted 1-year event-free survival (P<0.01, highest versus lowest tertile odds ratio [OR] = 1.9). In a Cox regression model adjusting for age, gender, intima-media thickness, radial strain, pulse pressure, and percentage reversibility mass of myocardium, low tLoD remained a significant independent predictor of MACE (P = 0.03). Finally, low tLoD provided additional predictive value in subjects with increased intima-media thickness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VVI-derived tLoD seems to reflect cardiovascular status and predicts short-term event-free survival in medium- to high-risk patients. Finally, tLoD per se or in combination with intima-media thickness measurement may be a novel cardiovascular surrogate biomarker.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, S:413 45 Göteborg, Sweden. sara.svedlund@gu.se
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Svedlund
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eklund
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Robertsson
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lomsky
authors.forename: Li-Ming
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Gan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003187:Compliance; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D013548:Sweden; D013997:Time Factors; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014463:Ultrasonography