Ultrasonographic measurement of intima-media thickness of the carotid artery before coronary artery bypass grafting

Purpose. We evaluated the usefulness of measuring intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery by ultrasonography before coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods. Seventy-three patients who underwent carotid ultrasonography before CABG were selected for this study. The maximum IMT (max IMT) in the bilateral common carotid artery was used as the index of carotid ultrasonography. As a quantitative measure of coronary atherosclerosis, we calculated Gensini's coronary score (GCS) from the preoperative coronary angiography. Results. There was a positive correlation between the max IMT and the GCS. Furthermore, the max IMT of the patients with myocardial infarction was significantly greater than that of the patients with angina pectoris. Conclusions. Carotid ultrasonography before CABG is useful, not only for the morphological evaluation of the stenotic lesions of the neck vessels, but also for the quantitative prediction of atherosclerosis in the native coronary artery. The max IMT may predict the progression of atherosclerotic change of the native coronary artery from angina pectoris to myocardial infarction.