Quantitative Ultrasonography of Carotid and Femoral Arteries

The aim of the present chapter is to provide an overview on how to measure early atherosclerosis in humans with ultrasound. Atherosclerosis is a disease affecting the intima leading to intimal thickening, but there is no method available at present which can measure only intima thickness in vivo (Fig. 1). However, intima-media thickness may be measured with ultrasound and an increase in intima-media thickness in atherosclerotic prone areas is used as an indicator of intimal thickening. There is a long latent period (often many decades) until the atherosclerotic disease manifests itself as a changed lumen configuration [1] (Fig. 2), and our focus is mainly on the early phases of atherosclerosis before flow disturbances occur.