Carotid intima–media thickness is a useful screening tool to detect coronary artery plaque in type 2 diabetic patients with zero calcium score

Abstract

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death for individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) [1,2], and acute coronary syndrome is believed to result from plaque rupture at the site of a noncritical coronary stenosis (<50%) [3]. Because the association between coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and the presence of coronary atherosclerosis or future cardiovascular event is widely recognized [4], the screening for occult CAD using CACS is a popular method. Especially, diabetic patients tend to have higher CACS, which is related more closely to a greater increase in prevalence of CAD and mortality [5,6].