Evaluation of Carotid Wall Thickness by using Computed Tomography and Semiautomated Ultrasonographic Software

Abstract

Purpose The increased thickness of the carotid artery is associated with the development of coronary and cerebrovascular events. In this study our purpose was to evaluate the carotid artery wall thickness (CAWT) by using multidetector-row computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) and the intima media thickness (IMT) by using semiautomated ultrasonography (SA-US) to evaluate the agreement between the two methods. Methods This is a retrospective study, and the institutional review board approval was obtained. Twenty-one patients (age range, 59–81 years) were analyzed with the use of a 16-detector row CT and a sonographic scanner. In total, 14 subjects had shown cerebral ischemic symptoms. The IMT was quantified by the use of specific semiautomated software (ImgTracer™, Global Biomedical Technologies, Roseville, CA) by four expert observers, and the CAWT was measured by use of the MDCTA. Data were compared with the Wilcoxon test for paired samples. Bland–Altman statistics was used to measure the agreement between MDCTA and SA-US. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results Forty-two carotids were analyzed, and the CAWT ranged from 0.64 to 2.99 mm, with a mean value of 1.438 mm. By analyzing the Bland–Altman plots, we observed a good agreement between SA-US and correlation coefficient r were 0.9250 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.864–0.959; p < 0.0001), 0.9265 (95% CI 0.866–0.961; p < 0.0001), 0.9466 (95% CI 0.902–0.971; p < 0.0001), and 0.8621 (95% CI: 0.756–0.924; p < 0.0001) for observer 1, observer 2, observer 3 and observer 4 respectively. Conclusions Data of this preliminary study by using SA-US and MDCTA demonstrated a good agreement between in the measurement of CAWT and IMT.