Association between coronary artery disease and ultrasonic signals of carotid atherosclerosis

Objectives To observe the relationship between carotid atherosclerosis and coronary artery atherosclerosis.Methods The intima-media thickness(IMT) were measured in 54 patients with coronary artery disease(CAD)and in 41 patients without CHD diagnosed by coronary arteriography(CAG).The numbers of plaque were recorded and the grades were semi-quantified.These patients were divided into normal group and CAD group.The extent of CAD was coded as 1,2 branches or more according to the number of major coronary vessels with luminal stenosis.Results The IMT progressively increased with the extent of CAD,the IMT of CAD group was obviously higher than that of normal group(P0.05);there was significant correlation between the plaque grades and the extent of CAD(P0.05).Conclusion Ultrasonic signals of carotid arteriosclerosis have great value in predicting the extent of CAD.