Carotid intima-media thickness measured by ultrasonography: effect of different pharmacotherapies on atherosclerosis progression

The clinical manifestations of arteriosclerosis (cardiovascular, stroke and peripheral artery diseases) represent the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries. The early in vivo diagnosis and follow up of subclinical progression of arteriosclerosis is important for the evaluation of efficient preventive and therapeutic interventions. The carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) is a reliable surrogate marker of the arteriosclerosis and could be easily investigated with high resolution B-mode sonography. Due to its good reproducibility, the IMT measurement is optimal for tracking the progression or regression of atherosclerotic disease. The increase of IMT is influenced by numerous vascular risk factors (age, smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, alcohol etc.) and positively associated with the incidence of vascular events in the arterial vasculature (stroke, myocardial infarct). Studies with lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, antidiabetic drugs, hormones confirmed, that modifying of vascular risk factors significantly reduces the progression of IMT. It is probable, that reduced progression of IMT is also accompanied with the decrease of future vascular events.