SONOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENT OF COMMON CAROTID ARTERY INTIMA MEDIA THICKNESS AMONG HEALTHY ADULTS IN JOS, NIGERIA
Abstract
Author(s): Dr. Kolade- Yunusa, Hadijat Oluseyi, Dr. Haruna, Abubakar Shehu.
The intima media thickness (IMT) has been established as an early predictor of general arteriosclerosis in patients. B-mode ultrasonography is a noninvasive method for examining thewalls of periphera l arteries. It provides a measure of intima-mediathickness (IMT) and the presence of stenosis and plaques. However, to date, there is paucity of information on IMT of common carotid artery in healthy patients in study area. Objective: The aim of this study is to sonographically measure common carotid artery intima media thickness among healthy adults in Jos, Nigeria. Methodology: The common carotid artery (CCA) was scanned using an ALOKA SSD-3500 ultrasound scanner with Doppler facility and a 7.5MHz linear transducer. Three measurements of the CIMT were obtained at 1cm proximal to the right and left carotid bulb and the mean value of the three measurements was recorded. Results: The overall mean CIMT 0.61mm±0.10. CIMT values increased progressively with increasing age from 21-70 years and with increasing BMI. CIMT correlated positively with age and BMI. Mean CIMT value was higher in male (0.62±0.09mm) compared to female (0.61±0.09mm). The overall right and left mean CIMT value was 0.61± 0.10 and 0.60 ± 0.10 respectively. There was no significant difference between the two sides. Conclusion: The CIMT value obtained in this study is slightly higher than those among Caucasians confirming the need for establishing normal values for each region. The study has shown that age, sex, BMI have significant effect on CIMT and should be taken into consideration when reporting CIMT of normal subjects. Keywords: Ultrasound, CIMT, normal subjects.
