BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Cigarette smoking is correlated with extracranial carotid artery plaque thickness. Our aim in the present study was to determine whether the level of prior cigarette use is a significant predictor of carotid artery plaque thickness when age, history of hypertension, and history of diabetes are controlled. METHODS We studied a continuous sample of 790 patients with a his...

PURPOSE To determine the extent of thickening of the carotid arterial walls that may be accommodated by outward remodeling. MATERIALS AND METHODS Institutional review board approval was obtained at each participating site, and informed consent was obtained from each participant. All study sites conducted this study in compliance with HIPAA requirements. A total of 2066 participants (age range...

Keywords: Cardiovascular risk factors Carotid intima-media thickness Kidney transplant recipients South Africa. Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are more common in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) than in the general population. Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) is a marker of atherosclerosis in the general and transplant populations. We determined the prevalence and predictors ...

Atherosclerosis is a lifelong process involving artery wall thickening. Increased wall thickness has been widely adopted as a preclinical surrogate marker of atherosclerosis. A prerequisite for such a surrogate marker is that it is a structural characteristic of the vessel wall that is not subject to acute changes. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of vasodilator drug a...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Although vascular risk factors have been implicated in the development of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD), few studies have examined the association between subclinical atherosclerosis and prospective risk of dementia. METHODS Participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (n=364; age, 60-95 years; median age, 73; 60% male; 82% white) underwen...

OBJECTIVES We compared in vivo 3.0-T magnetic resonance (MR) images of the carotid artery wall in piglets to intima-media thickness measurements of similar carotid segments by B-mode ultrasound (US) and histology to define the corresponding anatomical tissue characteristics and accuracy of carotid MR images. BACKGROUND Carotid MR is increasingly used for the assessment of cardiovascular risk ...

BACKGROUND Progression of atherosclerosis is associated with a greater risk for adverse outcomes. Angiotensin II plays a key role in the pathogenesis and progression of atherosclerosis. We aimed to investigate the effects of angiotensin II type-1 receptor blockade with Valsartan on carotid wall atherosclerosis, with the hypothesis that Valsartan will reduce progression of atherosclerosis. MET...

Background: Lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with an increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to evaluate patients with lichen planus using carotid Doppler ultrasound parameters.Methods: Forty patients with lichen planus and 40 controls were included in this study. Common carotid...

OBJECTIVE To describe and test a practical protocol to measure common carotid intima-media thickness that uses the combined values of two longitudinal examination angles to increase sensitivity. METHOD Between February and September 2005, 206 patients underwent duplex scan examination of carotid vessels, and the intima-media thickness of 407 common carotids were measured in three angles: tran...