Osmar Antonio Centurión

Role of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in the Detección of Subclinical Atherosclerosis

In addition, in order to study the efficacy of pharmacological interventions in clinical trials, drug-induced regression or slow progression in carotid IMT in the follow-up period are being used as an alternative, or surrogate clinical end point for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality [1]. Serum biomarkers have been widely utilized to assess the risk of developing atherosclerosis. Despite their benefits and their usefulness in this context, carotid IMT has the additional theoretical advantage of directly visualizing the final consequence of the disease itself, namely atherosclerosis in the vessel wall. The current widespread application of the ultrasound values of carotid IMT measurements has been based on the validity, standardization, and reproducibility of the technique, and the evidence that an increased carotid IMT can be regarded as a marker of atherosclerosis and of increased cardiovascular risk [10-16]. This harmless ultrasound procedure has several advantages due to the lack of invasiveness and its usefulness of repeatability which makes carotid IMT measurement an attractive biomarker, potentially useful as a therapeutic target in those at increased cardiovascular risk [17].