Schmidt-Trucksäss A, Huonker M
Freiburg University Hospital, Department of Prevention, Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, Germany.
Z Kardiol. 2000;89 Suppl 2:124-9. doi: 10.1007/s003920070111.
Atherosclerotic changes of the carotid tree comprise changes of the wall structure, the wall stiffness, and local blood flow properties. They are associated with atherosclerotic changes in other arterial beds such as the coronary and cerebral arteries and with manifest atherosclerotic diseases. It has also been shown that they are at least in part potent predictors for future cardiovascular disease. Transcutaneous ultrasound of the carotid tree offers the possibility of detecting atherosclerotic changes on a noninvasive basis. In the following, the different methods for the assessment of atherosclerotic changes of the carotid wall structure, wall stiffness, and local hemodynamics with noninvasive ultrasound are briefly reviewed. The combined assessment of all these arterial properties may increase the predictive value of non-invasive ultrasound in detecting early atherosclerosis in other arterial beds. However, more prospective studies are necessary to examine the possible value of increased wall stiffness, altered local hemodynamics, and the combined assessment of these parameters together with the assessment of arterial wall structure in this respect. Therefore, the current ultrasound methods for the measurement of structure, function, and hemodynamics has yet to be optimized for usage in routine medical examinations.
颈动脉系统的动脉粥样硬化改变包括血管壁结构、血管壁硬度和局部血流特性的改变。它们与其他动脉床（如冠状动脉和脑动脉）的动脉粥样硬化改变以及明显的动脉粥样硬化疾病相关。研究还表明，它们至少在一定程度上是未来心血管疾病的有力预测指标。经皮超声检查颈动脉系统能够在无创的基础上检测到动脉粥样硬化改变。以下将简要回顾使用无创超声评估颈动脉壁结构、壁硬度和局部血流动力学的不同方法。综合评估所有这些动脉特性可能会提高无创超声在检测其他动脉床早期动脉粥样硬化方面的预测价值。然而，需要更多的前瞻性研究来检验血管壁硬度增加、局部血流动力学改变以及这些参数与动脉壁结构评估相结合在这方面的潜在价值。因此，目前用于测量结构、功能和血流动力学的超声方法仍有待优化，以便用于常规医学检查。
