J Korean Diabetes.  2012 Dec;13(4):187-190. 10.4093/jkd.2012.13.4.187.

Stress Echocardiography and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Diabetic Patients

• Kim SH

• KMID: 2173953
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4093/jkd.2012.13.4.187

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a main cause of death in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). The major heart diseases related to DM include coronary artery disease and diabetic cardiomyopathy. In addition, type 2 DM is known to an independent risk factor for stroke. Even though a variety of non-invasive modalities exist to detect CVD in diabetic patients, echocardiography including stress echocardiography and tissue Doppler technique is a safe and reliable tool for detection of CVD. In addition, the accuracy and prognostic long-term information of stress echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging are validated by a number of previous studies in diabetic patients. Recent advances in imaging modalities, such as contrast echocardiography, strain and strain rate, allow accurate diagnosis and the quantitative assessment of myocardium in preference to coronary blood flow. Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) measurement shows good reproducibility and has been used as a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetic patients. The role of cIMT as a predictor of stroke was also demonstrated in type 2 DM. In this article, we review the usefulness of stress echocardiography and cIMT measurement for diagnosis of CVD and the risk stratification in a diabetic population.

Keyword

Echocardiography; Carotid intima-media thickness; Diabetes mellitus

MeSH Terms

Atherosclerosis
Biomarkers
Cardiovascular Diseases
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness
Cause of Death
Coronary Artery Disease
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Diabetic Cardiomyopathies
Echocardiography
Echocardiography, Stress
Heart Diseases
Humans
Myocardium
Risk Factors
Sprains and Strains
Stroke

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Measurement of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT). A healthy patient demonstrates normal cIMT value as measured in the far wall of common carotid artery (A). On the other hand, a diabetic patient shows increased cIMT measurement in the far wall of common carotid artery (B).

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