Repeat Ultrasound Identifies Patients High-Risk for Cardiac Events
Data recently published in the journal Radiology indicates that repeat examination with ultrasound may be able to identify those patients who are at high risk. A research team from Austria suggested that the degree of stenosis does not sufficiently determine level of risk.
Over 1,280 consecutive asymptomatic patients underwent ultrasound imaging of the carotid artery. All of the patients were high risk for cardiovascular disease. Ultrasound identified 574 patients with carotid artery disease.
Diagnosis was made by the amount of plaque collected in the two blood vessels that supply blood to the neck and head. Patients with disease were again imaged six to nine months after the initial diagnosis to evaluate changes in the initial plaques. Ultrasound images and computer-assisted gray scale median (GSM) assessment was utilized to determine the plaque density of the carotid arteries.
Follow-up ultrasounds completed indicated that GSM levels dropped in forty percent of the patients. Of that subgroup, 37 percent had a major cardiac event such as stroke, coronary artery bypass, surgery, or heart attack within three years of their second ultrasound.
In the remaining sixty percent of the patients, the team noted that GSM increased over time. Within that subgroup of patients, 28 percent had a major cardiovascular event.
The study findings indicate that vulnerable plaques in the carotid artery are an important disease marker. Such can indicate an increased risk of stroke, as well as progression in disease in other places within the cardiovascular system. The data presented herein indicates that GSM may be a noninvasive means to identify plaques at risk.
September 5, 2008 Related topics: Imaging, Diagnostic, Cardiology