Usefulness of carotid ultrasonography in the assessment of coronary artery disease extension in patients undergoing exercise echocardiography

Objectives To evaluate whether carotid disease is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) extension in patients undergoing treadmill exercise stress echocardiography (EE). Methods We retrospectively studied 156 patients without previous vascular disease who underwent EE, carotid ultrasonography, and coronary angiography between 2002 and 2013. Low‐, intermediate‐, and high‐risk EE were defined as negative, localized ischemia, and multivessel/extensive ischemia EE respectively; carotid disease according to Mannheim and American Society of Echocardiography Consensus and CAD extension from zero to three vessel disease as stenosis ≥50% by visual assessment. Results Of the 156 patients, 67 (42.9%), 43 (27.6%), 22 (14.1%), and 24 (15.4%) had zero, one, two, and three vessel disease respectively. Age (P = 0.047), male sex (P = 0.010), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.039), smoking habit (P = 0.015), fasting plasma glucose (P = 0.021), European Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (P = 0.003), pretest CAD probability (P = 0.003), high‐risk EE (P