A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Femoral Artery Intima-Media Thickness

Introduction.—Arterial intima thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery has been established as a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis. The role of femoral IMT remains incompletely defined. This study was undertaken to define the potential relationship between patient demographics, comorbidities, and femoral IMT and to establish it as a potential marker for future peripheral arterial disease.Methods.—A total of 160 patients (89 male, 71 female) between the ages of 18 and 50 years were enrolled and demographic data were obtained by chart review. Images of the common femoral artery were obtained with B-mode ultrasonography gated to the R-wave of the electrocardiograph. Automated edge detection software (Carotid Analyzer for Research) was used to measure femoral IMT and vessel diameter, and these measurements were used to derive the IMT cross-sectional area (CSA). Triplicate measurements of each femoral artery were made and averaged. T-tests and multivariate analysis were performed and significance was indicated ...