Peripheral atherosclerosis evaluation through ultrasound: a promising
diagnostic tool for coronary artery disease
Abstract
Effective treatment, but also proper diagnosis of cardiovascular
diseases, remains a major challenge in everyday practice. A quick, safe,
and economically acceptable non-invasive procedure should play a leading
role in cardiovascular risk assessment before invasive diagnostics is
performed. The staging of subclinical atherosclerosis may help in
further clinical decisions. Safe, widely available, and relatively
inexpensive, ultrasonography is a promising examination that should find
wider application in clinical practice. The latest ESC guidelines
emphasize the usefulness of carotid ultrasound in the diagnosis of
coronary artery disease (CAD) and subclinical assessment of
atherosclerosis, which help to determine the level of cardiovascular
risk. Ultrasound examination of peripheral arteries, especially
superficial vessels such as the femoral arteries, is quite easy, quick,
and accurate. Other vascular beds, such as iliac and renal, are more
demanding to examine, but can also provide valuable information. This
review summarizes important studies comparing the severity of
atherosclerosis in ultrasound-visible vascular beds in patients with
established CAD. We especially emphasize the benefits of the combined
assessment of atherosclerosis features, which were characterized by high
sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of CAD and other serious
cardiovascular diseases.