Screening for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk Using Ultrasound

Screening With Ultrasound High-resolution ultrasound can provide images of the arterial wall and plaques at a resolution of 0.2 mm. Although intima-media thickness (IMT) has been used to study the effect of risk factor modification in large groups and has become a validated biomarker (2), it is only marginally better than conventional risk factors in identifying individuals at increased risk and is not recommended in the latest American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association guidelines (1). A recent meta-analysis demonstrated the superiority of plaque compared with IMT in cardiovascular risk prediction (8). [...]the presence and size of subclinical carotid and femoral plaques are emerging as having a strong association with coronary heart disease and stroke.