title: Morphological and functional carotid vessel wall properties in relation to cerebral white matter lesions in myocardial infarction patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Atherosclerotic large vessel disease is potentially involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral small vessel disease related to occurrence of white matter lesions (WMLs) in the brain. We aimed to assess morphological and functional carotid vessel wall properties in relation to WML using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in myocardial infarction (MI) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 20 MI patients (90 % male, 61 ± 11 years) underwent carotid artery and brain MRI. Carotid vessel wall thickness (VWT) was assessed, by detecting lumen and outer wall contours. Carotid pulse wave velocity (PWV), a measure of elasticity, was determined using the transit-time method. Patients were divided according to the median VWT into two groups. Brain MRI allowed for the WML score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean VWT was 1.41 ± 0.29 mm and mean carotid PWV was 7.0 ± 2.2 m/s. A significant correlation (Pearson r = 0.45, p = 0.046) between VWT and PWV was observed. Furthermore, in the group of high VWT, the median WML score was higher as compared with the group with lower VWT (4.0 vs 3.0, p = 0.035).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Carotid artery morphological and functional alterations are correlated in MI patients. Patients with high VWT showed a higher amount of periventricular WMLs. These findings support the hypothesis that atherosclerotic large vessel disease is potentially involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral small vessel disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands, e.s.j.kroner@lumc.nl.
authors.forename: E S J
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kröner
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van der Grond
authors.forename: J J M
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Westenberg
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: van der Wall
authors.forename: H-M J
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Siebelink
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lamb