title: Relationship between leukoaraiosis, carotid intima-media thickness and intima-media thickness variability: Preliminary results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationship between the degree of leukoaraiosis (LA), carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and intima-media thickness variability (IMTV).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-one consecutive patients, who underwent a brain MRI examination and a carotid artery ultrasound, were included in this retrospective study, which conformed with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was waived. In each patient, right/left carotid arteries and brain hemispheres were assessed using automated software for IMT, IMTV and LA volume.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean hemispheric LA volume was 2,224 mm3(SD 2,702 mm3) and there was no statistically significant difference in LA volume between the right and left hemispheres (p value = 0.628). The mean IMT and IMTV values were 0.866 mm (SD 0.170) and 0.143 mm (SD 0.100), respectively, without significant differences between the right and left sides (p values 0.733 and 0.098, respectively). The correlation coefficient between IMTV and LA volume was 0.41 (p value = 0.0001), and 0.246 (p value = 0.074) between IMT and LA volume.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IMTV significantly correlates with LA volume. Further studies are warranted to verify whether this parameter can be used clinically as a marker of cerebrovascular risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • Intima-media thickness variability (IMTV) significantly correlates with leukoaraiosis volume. • IMTV could be used as a marker for cerebrovascular risk. • IMTV seems to be a better predictor of weighted mean difference than IMT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Rome la Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierleone
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lucatelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Eytan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Raz
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria, di Cagliari - Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554 Monserrato, Cagliari, 09045, Italy. lucasaba@tiscali.it.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saba
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliera Brotzu, Cagliari, 09100, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Argiolas
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria, di Cagliari - Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554 Monserrato, Cagliari, 09045, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Montisci
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology Division, University of Virginia, 1215 Lee Street-New Hospital, PO Box 800170, Charlottesville, 22908, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wintermark
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Biolab, Department of Electronics, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Molinari
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Toho University Ohashi Medical Center, 2-17-6 Ohashi Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobutaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliera Brotzu, Cagliari, 09100, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Siotto
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic and Monitoring Division, AtheroPoint™ LLC, Roseville, CA, 95661, USA.|Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Idaho (Affl.), Pocatello, ID, USA.
authors.forename: Jasjit S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Suri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D049292:Leukoaraiosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: Arterial intima; IMT; Leukoaraiosis; MRI; Ultrasound