Usefulness of carotid plaque (sum and maximum of plaque thickness) in combination with intima-media thickness for the detection of coronary artery disease in asymptomatic patients with diabetes.

Aims/introduction: The usefulness of markers of carotid plaque, such as sum (PS) and maximum (P-max) of the plaque thickness, in combination with intima-media thickness in the common carotid artery (CIMT) for the detection of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) was investigated in patients with type 2 diabetes without known CAD.

Materials And Methods: B-mode ultrasonographic scanning of the carotid artery and multislice computed tomography coronary angiography were carried out in 332 asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes.

Results: For the presence of obstructive CAD when incorporating PS or P-max to standard risk factors in a multiple logistic regression model, the classification ability in PS and P-max increased greatly (area under the curve [AUC] 0.