title: Evaluation of carotid intima-media thickness, a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, in children with cerebral palsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of death in children with cerebral palsy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate sonographic carotid intima-media thickness, an early marker of atherosclerosis, in children with cerebral palsy and in healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred children with cerebral palsy (65 boys), mean age 6.2 (SD, 2.1) years, and 35 age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls were included. Common carotid artery intima-media thickness was measured sonographically. Differences between patients and controls were evaluated with an independent samples t-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age, sex distribution and levels of serum lipids were comparable between patients and controls. Average, right and left carotid artery intima-media were thicker in patients compared with controls (mean ± SD, 0.61 ± 0.13 mm vs 0.40 ± 0.03 mm; 0.61 ± 0.14 mm vs 0.40 ± 0.03 mm; 0.61 ± 0.13 mm vs 0.40 ± 0.03 mm, respectively; all P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Carotid intima-media is sonographically thicker in children with cerebral palsy compared with healthy controls, which may express an increased risk of atherosclerotic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University School of Medicine, Sanliurfa 63040, Turkey. hasan_cece@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cece
authors.forename: Abdulkadir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yetisgin
authors.forename: Mahmut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abuhandan
authors.forename: Sema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calik
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Karakas
authors.forename: Ekrem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karakas
authors.forename: Akin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iscan
mesh_terms: D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*