Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jun 16, 2024; 12(17): 3004-3011
Published online Jun 16, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i17.3004
Early diagnostic value of carotid artery ultrasound parameters combined with epicardial adipose layer thickness in coronary heart disease
Min Xu, Zhao-Yang Lu
Min Xu, Zhao-Yang Lu, Department of Ultrasound, Suzhou Ninth People's Hospital, Suzhou 215200, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Xu M and Lu ZY designed the research and wrote the first manuscript; Xu M and Lu ZY contributed to conceiving the research and analyzing data; Xu M and Lu ZY conducted the analysis and provided guidance for the research; all authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Suzhou Ninth People's Hospital.
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zhao-Yang Lu, Doctor, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Ultrasound, Suzhou Ninth People's Hospital, No. 2666, Ludang Road, Wujiang District, Suzhou 215200, Jiangsu Province, China. luzhaoyang20024@126.com
Received: February 21, 2024
Revised: April 12, 2024
Accepted: April 23, 2024
Published online: June 16, 2024
Processing time: 104 Days and 1.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Coronary heart disease is associated with coronary atherosclerosis indicated by carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) thickening and altered vascular elasticity. The epicardial adipose layer can secrete proinflammatory factors that promote the formation of coronary atherosclerosis. Thus, the epicardial fat layer thickness (EAT) may also predict coronary heart disease.

AIM

To determine the role of common carotid artery ultrasound parameters and EAT in the early diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

METHODS

Based on coronary angiography, patients with newly suspected coronary heart disease were divided into case (n = 107) and control (n = 41) groups. The carotid ultrasound parameters, including vascular stiffness (β), elastic coefficient (EP), pulse wave conduction velocity (PWV-β), CIMT, and EAT were compared between the case and control groups and among patients with different lesion numbers in the case group. Pearson correlation was used to evaluate the early diagnostic value of EAT, common carotid artery elasticity, and CIMT for coronary heart disease.

RESULTS

EP, β, PWV-β, CIMT, and EAT were significantly higher in the case group compared with the levels in the control group (all P < 0.001). In the case group, lesions were detected in one vessel in 34 patients, two vessels in 38 patients, and three vessels in 35 patients. Within the case group, β, EP, PWV-β, CIMT, and EAT levels significantly increased with an increased number of lesions (all P < 0.001). EAT positively correlated with β, EP, PWV-β, and CIMT (all P < 0.01). The area under the curve for diagnosing coronary heart disease using EAT combined with CIMT and carotid elasticity was 0.893, and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.890 and 0.837.

CONCLUSION

EAT correlated well with changes in carotid artery elasticity and CIMT in patients with coronary heart disease. The combination of EAT, carotid artery elasticity, and CIMT facilitates the early diagnosis of coronary heart disease.

Keywords: Carotid artery; Ultrasound; Epicardial adipose layer thickness; Coronary heart disease; Early diagnosis

Core Tip: Carotid intima-media thickening (CIMT) is a precursor to atherosclerosis. The epicardial fat layer secretes proinflammatory factors that contribute to coronary artery disease caused by coronary atherosclerosis. Our study focused on determining the correlation between epicardial adipose layer thickness (EAT) and changes in common carotid artery elasticity and CIMT on ultrasound. The combined detection of EAT, carotid artery elasticity, and CIMT facilitates the early diagnosis of coronary heart disease.