Intima-media thickness (imt) and rf-based quality intima-media thickness (rfqimt) measurements in a sample of patients attending an outpatient hypertension centre

Introduction: The RFQIMT (Esaote-Italy) is a method of new generation for real-time measurement of intima-media thickness of the supra-aortic trunks. It is based on the direct radio-frequency analysis of the signal that allows to obtain data at high spatial resolution and thus improve the standard of a measure which has proved as surrogate marker of cardiovascular disease. The absolute values of IMT, indicated as standard ones by current literature and measured by the method recommended by the guidelines of the Italian Society of Vascular Diagnostics (accepted as European Guidelines) do not take into account of independent variables such as age, sex and race that may influence the correlation of this index at any level of vascular and cardiac damage. The aim of our study was to compare the values of intima-media thickness measured by the above method compared to those obtained by the method of radio-frequency taking into account the variables mentioned above. Materials and Methods: We submitted 250 patients examined in succession in our hypertension centre to measure the intima-media thickness with conventional method (3 measurements at the level of common carotid artery, 1 cm from the carotid bifurcation) and RFQIMT. Patients had a mean age of 52.5 ± 22.5, 118 were males and 132 females, and all Caucasians. Patients had the following comorbidities: 210 patients were hypertensive patients, 126 dyslipidemic, 87 patients with diabetes, 14 patients with CAD, 72 patients with carotid plaques and 93 patients smokers. Results: 123 patients had RFQIMT above the normal values and IMT among limits, 56 had normal both RFQIMT and IMT and 71 had both RFQIMT and IMT above the normal values. Conclusions: When we take into account the value of RFQIMT compared to IMT, the index of cardiovascular risk linked to intima-media thickness increased significantly in more patients: 123 with RFQIMT increased compared with 71 with IMT increased. This preliminar evidence changes the correlations with the co-morbidity and makes the measure that uses radio-frequency more accurate and reliable.