Ultrasound Imaging of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness: an Office-Based Tool to Assist Physicians in Cardiovascular Risk Assessment

Traditional coronary heart disease risk prediction schemes such as the Framingham Risk Score, although useful, do not adequately identify all individuals who experience an adverse coronary heart disease event. Therefore, additional tools, including biomarkers, genetic markers, and imaging markers, are being evaluated for their value in improving cardiovascular risk assessment. Of the two accepted imaging markers of atherosclerosis, namely coronary artery calcium score (CACS) measured by CT scan and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measured by ultrasound, CIMT has the potential to be widely adopted as a clinical tool for physician offices. Ultrasound-based CIMT measurement is safe but has several challenges, including reproducibility and operator-dependency. We review and present data with respect to the added value of CIMT and information about plaque presence or absence in improving coronary heart disease risk prediction and further provide information related to adequate scanning protocols. New developments in the area of automated CIMT measurement, three-dimensional, ultrasound-based plaque volume estimation are promising and have the potential to create a quantum leap in our ability to measure, characterize, and monitor carotid atherosclerosis and in turn prediction of cardiovascular disease risk.