Abstract
Numerous studies have shown the clinical and prognostic significance of carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) in atherosclerotic disease patients. However, the clinical significance of femoral artery IMT has not been fully elucidated. We examined the relationship among carotid and femoral artery IMTs and ankle brachial index (ABI) in patients with coronary artery disease. Patients (n = 213; mean age, 71 years) who were diagnosed by coronary angiography were enrolled. By ultrasonography, we evaluated the mean common carotid and femoral artery IMTs. We evaluated the diagnostic value of the carotid and femoral artery IMTs for low ABIs (< 0.9). To determine the cutoff IMT for the prediction of a low ABI, we conducted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The median carotid IMT was 0.77 mm, and the median femoral IMT was 1.71 mm. ABIs were significantly lower in patients with large femoral IMTs (≥ 1.71 mm) than in those with small femoral IMTs (< 1.71 mm) (1.01 vs 1.08, p < 0.0001). On the other hand, there was no significant difference in ABI between patients with large carotid artery IMTs (≥ 0.77 mm) and those with small carotid artery IMTs (< 0.77 mm) (1.05 vs 1.05, p = 0.60). ROC curve analysis revealed that the optimal cutoff value for predicting an ABI of < 0.9 was 1.78 mm for femoral IMT. Femoral artery IMT, not carotid artery IMT, predicts a low ABI in patients with coronary artery disease.
