Direct Measurement of Wall Stiffness for Carotid Arteries by Ultrasound Strain Imaging

Kawasaki, Toshihiro; Fukuda, Shota; Shimada, Kenei; Maeda, Kumiko; Yoshida, Ken; Sunada, Hiroe; Inanami, Hitoshi; Tanaka, Hidemasa; Jissho, Satoshi; Taguchi, Haruyuki; Yoshiyama, Minoru; Yoshikawa, Junichi

doi:10.1016/j.echo.2009.09.011

« Previous Next »Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
Volume 22, Issue 12 , Pages 1389-1395, December 2009

Direct Measurement of Wall Stiffness for Carotid Arteries by Ultrasound Strain Imaging

Toshihiro Kawasaki, RDCS
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Ekisaikai Hospital, Osaka, Japan
Shota Fukuda, MD
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Ekisaikai Hospital, Osaka, Japan
- Reprint requests: Shota Fukuda, MD, Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Ekisaikai Hospital, 2-1-10 Honden, Nishi-ku, Osaka 550-0022, Japan.
Kenei Shimada, MD
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Ekisaikai Hospital, Osaka, Japan
Kumiko Maeda, RDCS
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Ekisaikai Hospital, Osaka, Japan
Ken Yoshida, MD
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Ekisaikai Hospital, Osaka, Japan
Hiroe Sunada, RDCS
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Ekisaikai Hospital, Osaka, Japan
Hitoshi Inanami, MD
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Ekisaikai Hospital, Osaka, Japan
Hidemasa Tanaka, MD
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Ekisaikai Hospital, Osaka, Japan
Satoshi Jissho, MD
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Ekisaikai Hospital, Osaka, Japan
Haruyuki Taguchi, MD
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Ekisaikai Hospital, Osaka, Japan
Minoru Yoshiyama, MD
- Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Osaka City University School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
Junichi Yoshikawa, MD
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Ekisaikai Hospital, Osaka, Japan

published online 02 November 2009.

Objective

The elastic properties of the carotid arterial wall have not been directly characterized in the clinical setting. Strain rate (SR) imaging is a newly developed echocardiographic method developed for imaging the tissue motion of the myocardium. The purpose of this study was to directly estimate the elastic properties of the carotid artery by using SR imaging in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods

A total of 135 patients with CAD, 15 age-matched controls, and 35 young healthy subjects had a carotid ultrasound examination for measuring the values of SR and strain of the carotid artery. The intima–media thickness and distensibility coefficient of the carotid artery were estimated.

Results

Age and Framingham risk score were significantly related to SR and strain, respectively (r = 0.62-0.67, all P < .001). These strain measurements were significantly correlated with distensibility coefficient and intima–media thickness, respectively (r = 0.30-0.56, all P < .001). Similar values of the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were obtained among Framingham risk score (0.70 ± 0.05), SR (0.67 ± 0.05), and strain (0.73 ± 0.05).