Ultrasonographic study on structures and hemodynamic characteristic changes of carotid arteries in essential hypertension patients

Objective To study the atherosclerotic structures and hemodynamic characteristic changes of carotid arteries and their interrelations in essential hypertension patients with or without left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH) using color Doppler ultrasonography.Methods A total of 125 cases including 40 hypertension patients without LVH,45 hypertension patients with LVH and 40 control subjects underwent color Doppler ultrasonography.Intima-media thickness(IMT),plaque and hemodynamic indices were respectively measured in the common carotid artery(CCA) and its bifurcation(B),internal carotid artery and external carotid artery.Results ①The IMT of the carotid and BIMT were higher in the hypertension groups than those in the control group(P=0.006).The IMT and BIMT of hypertension patients with LVH were the highest in all groups.②Compared with the control group,there were significant hemodynamic changes in the hypertension groups.The main changes included the decrement of the peak systolic velocity(PSV),end diastolic velocity(EDV),blood flow and the increment of the pulsatility index(PI) and resistance index(RI).Conclusion The LVH was correlated to the changes of CCA-IMT、plaque and hemodynernois in hypertension patients.