Intima-media complex of both the brachial artery and the common carotid artery are associated with left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with previous myocardial infarction.
OBJECTIVES: Prospective trials have established intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery, flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery and cardiac left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) as predictors of cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between intima-media complex of the brachial artery to FMD, intima-media complex of the common carotid artery and cardiac hypertrophy in patients with coronary heart disease. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Cross-sectional design. Procedures were undertaken within the Huddinge University Hospital, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. A total of 123 patients with a previous acute myocardial infarction (MI) were investigated. Calculated intima-media area (cIMa) of the brachial and common carotid arteries and FMD of the brachial artery and left ventricular dimensions were examined. RESULTS: The brachial cIMa was significantly associated with age, p-triglycerides, common carotid cIMa, ejection fraction, septum thickness, posterior wall thickness and left ventricular mass index (P