The echogenecity measured by ultrasound of atherosclerotic plaques is related to future cardiovascular events. The aim of the present study is to relate the grey scale median of the intima-media complex (IM-GSM) of the common carotid artery (CCA) to the echogenecity of carotid plaques.
In the Prospective Study of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study, a population-based study of 1016 subjects aged 70, carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and IM-GSM were evaluated by ultrasound and computerized analysis. Also the occurrence of plaque and plaque GSM were measured. The echogenecity of the plaques was also visually estimated by the Gray-Weale classification. In subjects with a carotid plaque (n=582), IM-GSM in CCA was correlated to GSM in the plaque (r=0.60, p