Association between Carotid Intima-media Thickness and Early-onset Coronary Artery Disease: Does the site of Sonographic Evaluation Matter?

Background: Intima-media thickness (IMT) is frequently used for risk stratification (RS) due to the association with coronary artery disease (CAD). Nonetheless, the best carotid site to scan is uncertain, especially in the young. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of IMT measurements performed at different carotid sites.

Reduced systemic microvascular density and reactivity in individuals with early onset coronary artery disease.

Objective: This study sought to test whether patients with early-onset coronary artery disease (EOCAD, n=30) showed systemic microvascular rarefaction and endothelial dysfunction in comparison to age- and sex-matched healthy controls (CTL, n=30), as evaluated by skin video-capillaroscopy.

Methods: Functional capillary density (FCD) was defined as the number of spontaneously perfused capillaries per square millimeter of skin area and assessed by high-resolution intra-vital color microscopy in the dorsum of the middle phalanx. Capillary recruitment (capillary reserve) was evaluated using post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH) after arm ischemia for 3min.

Impairment of systemic microvascular endothelial and smooth muscle function in individuals with early-onset coronary artery disease: studies with laser speckle contrast imaging.

Objectives: The assessment of systemic microvascular reactivity is currently considered to be critical in the stratification of cardiovascular risk. In the present study, we compared skin microvascular function in individuals with early-onset (premature) coronary artery disease (EOCAD, n=30) with that of age-matched and sex-matched healthy individuals (n=30).

Materials And Methods: Using laser speckle contrast imaging, cutaneous blood flow was assessed in the forearm at rest and during reactivity tests, including postocclusive reactive hyperemia and the iontophoresis of acetylcholine or sodium nitroprusside with increasing currents of 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 μA for 10-s intervals spaced 1 min apart.