Abstract
Objective: This study investigated the relationship between a coronary artery calcium score (CACS) ≥100 and mean intima-media thickness (IMT), and whether the discrimination ability of mean IMT for CACS≥100 differs from that of entire carotid artery (C-max) IMT and max IMT.
Methods: A total of 878 consecutive subjects without any history of cardiovascular disease who had undergone atherosclerosis dock were examined by logistic regression analysis to determine whether there is a significant association between mean IMT and CACS≥100. The analysis was adjusted for risk factors with quartile values that showed an IMT-positive likelihood ratio ≥2.0 for CACS≥100. The discrimination ability of each IMT parameter for CACS≥100 was compared using the area under the curve (AUC) as the index.
Results: The average age of the study subjects was 61.4±11.0 years, and the prevalence of CACS≥100 was 19.7%. Mean IMT values in the 75th percentile or higher (≥0.95 mm) showed a significant association with CACS≥100 (odds ratio: 2.28). The AUC of mean IMT in relation to CACS≥100 was 0.725, which was not significantly different from that of C-max IMT (0.729) or max IMT (0.728; p>0.05 for both).
Conclusions: The discrimination ability of mean IMT for CACS≥100 was not significantly different from that of C-max IMT or max IMT in Japanese subjects. Therefore, mean IMT may be as useful as max IMT for CAD risk stratification in this cohort.
