Bots M L, Mulder P G, Hofman A, van Es G A, Grobbee D E
Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Erasmus University Medical School, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
J Clin Epidemiol. 1994 Aug;47(8):921-30. doi: 10.1016/0895-4356(94)90196-1.
We studied the reproducibility of measurement of ultrasonographically assessed common carotid intima-media thickness and assessed whether measurement error of intima-media thickness occurred randomly or was associated with potential determinants of atherosclerosis. Eighty participants of the Rotterdam Study underwent a second ultrasound scan of both carotid arteries within 3 months of the first scan. The replicate measurements involved the posterior intima-media thickness of the distal common carotid artery. Mean differences (SD) in intima-media thickness of the right common carotid artery between paired measurements of sonographers, readers and visits were -0.004 mm (0.10), 0.066 mm (0.07), and -0.013 mm (0.13), respectively. Similar results were obtained for the left common carotid artery. Measurement error of intima-media thickness, i.e. the absolute difference in measurements between two subsequent visits, increased significantly with increasing common carotid intima-media thickness. This association disappeared after logarithmical transformation of the intima-media thickness data. Age, sex, smoking, body mass index, serum lipids, fibrinogen, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were not significantly associated with the measurement error of intima-media thickness. Our findings indicate that measurements of common carotid intima-media thickness are highly reproducible. Measurement error of intima-media thickness is small and appears to be proportional with the level of intima-media thickness and is not significantly associated with most risk factors for atherosclerotic vessel wall disease.
我们研究了超声评估的颈总动脉内膜中层厚度测量的可重复性，并评估内膜中层厚度的测量误差是随机发生的还是与动脉粥样硬化的潜在决定因素相关。鹿特丹研究中的80名参与者在首次扫描后的3个月内对双侧颈动脉进行了第二次超声扫描。重复测量涉及颈总动脉远端的后壁内膜中层厚度。超声检查人员配对测量、阅片人员配对测量以及不同检查时间的配对测量中，右侧颈总动脉内膜中层厚度的平均差异（标准差）分别为-0.004mm（0.10）、0.066mm（0.07）和-0.013mm（0.13）。左侧颈总动脉也得到了类似结果。内膜中层厚度的测量误差，即两次连续检查之间测量值的绝对差异，随着颈总动脉内膜中层厚度的增加而显著增加。在内膜中层厚度数据进行对数转换后，这种关联消失。年龄、性别、吸烟、体重指数、血脂、纤维蛋白原以及收缩压和舒张压与内膜中层厚度的测量误差均无显著关联。我们的研究结果表明，颈总动脉内膜中层厚度的测量具有高度可重复性。内膜中层厚度的测量误差较小，似乎与内膜中层厚度水平成正比，并且与动脉粥样硬化血管壁疾病的大多数危险因素无显著关联。
