Carotid Intima-media Thickness (IMT) and Large-vessel Atherosclerosis by Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT)
Carotid Intima-media Thickness (IMT) and Large-vessel Atherosclerosis by Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT)
The aim of this study was to investigate whether carotid IMT can predict the presence of more
 advanced atherosclerosis such as carotid stenosis, coronary or intracranial artery disease by
 MDCT and whether MDCT could be useful next step for more aggressive treatment modality in
 Korean type 2 diabetic patients.
We evaluated mean/maximal carotid IMT in seventy-one type 2 diabetic subjects, and defined
 increased carotid IMT as maximal IMT ≥ 1.0 mm. Multidetector CT (MDCT) and pulse wave
 velocity (PWV) were taken to evaluate carotid artery stenosis (CS), coronary artery disease
 (CAD), intracranial arterial lesion (ICA), and peripheral artery disease (PAD). We compared
 prevalence of large artery stenosis according to carotid IMT group and evaluated whether
 maximal IMT ≥ 1.0 mm could predict for significant CAD by MDCT. We performed invasive
 coronary angiography in some patients (N=14) and analyzed association for degrees of CAD
 between two angiographic methods.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Type 2 diabetic patients who had multiple cardiovascular risk factors were recruited.

 -  Patients who had atypical chest pain, EKG abnormality (ischemic ST-T changes or
 abnormal Q-wave), or history of previous cardiovascular disease were also included.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Acute coronary SD, serum Cr>1.4 mg/dL, history of allergy to iodinated contrast dye
 were excluded.