Observation and study of ultrasound examination in carotid arteries of elderly hypertension

Objective To study the relation between carotid artery atherosclerosis and grades of elderly hypertension. Method Colordoppler ultrasonography of carotid arteries were used to exam 66 cases of elderly hypertension (the first grade group 21, the second grade group 22, the third grade group 23) and for 22 cases of healthy persons as control group.Results Among the hypertension group, intima media thickness of common carotid artery (CAIMT) is thickening and carotid diameter (CADIA) is getting widening while the hypertension is getting worse. There is no notable difference between the control group and first grade group ( P 0.05). Compared to the normal group, the rates of carotid athermomatous plaques of the first, second and third grade hypertension groups are 5.64%, 15.57%, 51.36% and 92.85% respectively. There are notable difference among the four groups( P 0.01 ). Systolic pressure velocity (SPV) and end diastolic velocity (EDV) of the second and the third grade groups of hypertension are slower than that of control group ( P 0.05) . R index (RI) and P index (PI) are notably higher ( P 0.01). Conclusion The thicker CAIMT gets, the wider CADIA becomes, which will cause plaque formation and SPV and EDV slowing down. The high indexes of RI and PI are reliable indexes of atherosclerosis of elderly hypertension. The early exam and discover of atherossclerosis caused by hypertension are helpful to prevent complication and to guide the treatment.