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(Circulation. 2004;109:III-33 – III-38.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.

Atherosclerosis: Evolving Vascular Biology and Clinical Implications

Measurement of Arterial Wall Thickness as a Surrogate Marker for Atherosclerosis

Eric de Groot, MD, PhD; G. Kees Hovingh, MD; Albert Wiegman, MD; Patrick Duriez, PhD; Andries J. Smit, MD, PhD; Jean-Charles Fruchart, PhD; John J.P. Kastelein, MD, PhD

From the Department of Vascular Medicine (E.d.G., G.K.H., A.W., J.J.P.K.), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; the Département de Recherche sur les Lipoproteines et l’Athérosclérose (P.D., J.-C.F.), Institut Pasteur de Lille, Inserm U545 et Faculté de Pharmacie, Université du Droit et de la Santé de Lille, Lille, France; and the Department of Internal Medicine (A.J.S.), University Hospital, Groningen, the Netherlands.

Correspondence to Prof. Dr J.J.P. Kastelein, Academic Medical Center, Dept. of Vascular Medicine, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands. E-mail e.vandongen{at}amc.uva.nl

Large observational studies and atherosclerosis regression trials of lipid-modifying pharmacotherapy have established that intima-media thickness of the carotid and femoral arteries, as measured noninvasively by B-mode ultrasound, is a valid surrogate marker for the progression of atherosclerotic disease. To exploit fully the potential of ultrasound imaging in atherosclerosis research, standardized and strictly implemented imaging protocols should be used in both observational studies and applied clinical research. This article describes such a protocol developed at the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Results are presented from a study that estimated atherosclerosis progression from childhood into old age by measuring intima-media thickness in subjects with familial hypercholesterolemia compared with healthy controls.

Key Words: B-mode ultrasound • familial hypercholesterolemia • intima-media thickness • surrogate markers