title: Enlargement of the diameter of the peripheral arteries in patients with idiopathic venous thrombosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent findings indicate that enlargement of the diameter of the peripheral arteries represents a risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular events. As the data indicate a relationship between atherosclerosis and venous thrombosis (VT), we investigated whether the diameter of the peripheral arteries is larger in patients with idiopathic VT than in healthy subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 49 patients with idiopathic VT and 48 age-matched healthy controls. Diameters of the brachial, common carotid and common femoral arteries as well as the intima media thickness (IMT) of the carotid and femoral arteries were measured with the high frequency ultrasound method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients had significantly higher values for the diameter of the common carotid artery than the controls: 7.9 mm (7.4 - 8.4 mm) vs. 7.4 mm (7.0 - 7.9 mm), p < 0.001, and for the common femoral artery: 10.3 mm (9.2 - 11.1 mm) vs. 9.5 mm (8.9 - 10.4 mm), p = 0.025. Both the carotid and femoral diameters showed significant correlations with gender, age, body mass index and IMT. Linear regression analysis confirmed that the presence of VT significantly and independently influenced the diameter of the carotid and femoral artery but not the brachial artery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of our study showed that carotid and femoral artery diameters are enlarged in patients with idiopathic VT in comparison to healthy subjects. Since enlargement of the investigated arterial diameters is an indicator of atherosclerosis, our findings are consistent with the presumption that there is some interrelationship between VT and arterial atherosclerotic disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Disease, University Medical Centre Ljubljana.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Poredos
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Jezovnik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001158:Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006973:Hypertension / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology*; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*