Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. The main methods for assessing early CVD risk and likelihood of disease are based on non-invasive ultrasound diagnostic (USD) methods and biomarkers in blood from laboratory tests. Priority research field – USD techniques derived new real-time markers about vascular condition to propose more reliable technical means for early detection of atherosclerosis.
Carotid artery (CA) intima-media thickness (IMS) is one of the parameters that characterize changes in the walls of arteries. IMS marker for the assessment of CVD risk is in recent discussion due to insufficient standardization and high variability. Therefore, is necessary to search for a more sensitive pre-clinical marker for assessing the walls of CA. With the advance of ultrasound scanners, the intima-media complex has been detected and its movements tracked during the cardiac cycle even in transverse, as well in longitudinal directions. Current research established the relationship between the decrease in the longitudinal movement of the artery walls, the stiffness and the CVD. Therefore, the introduction of this new, more sensitive marker into clinical practice would help to assess pre-clinical damage to the arteries earlier and possibly initiate early anti-sclerotic treatment. Project goal is to determine the diagnostic value of non-invasive early CVD risk biomarker from imaging of CA in asymptomatic individuals.
Project funding:
KTU R&D&I Fund
Period of project implementation: 2018-03-20 - 2018-12-31
Project partners: Lithuanian University of Health Sciences
