• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.161-168
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• 2009

The carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is an early structural marker of the atherosclerotic process and is the only non-invasive test that is currently recommended by the American Heart Association for evaluation of the risk. However, use of this parameter has a limitation because it assumes uniform thickness throughout the blood vessel, whereas atherosclerosis is a focal phenomenon that is confined to intima. In fact, plaque can be found along the atherosclerotic blood vessels even though its value is unknown. The aim of this study is to analyze the carotid plaque and IMT in the stroke patients. We investigated the patients with ischemic stroke, who were admitted to the department of neurology at the Stroke Special Hospital from January to March 2008. After the carotid IMT and plaque were assessed by B-mode ultrasonography, IMT and carotid plaque to risk variables (age, sex) were analyzed. The distribution of CCA IMT was significantly different in terms of age (p = 0.004). Likewise, the distribution of carotid plaque was also significantly different in terms of age (p = 0.006). Carotid plaque was 69 and 92% in normal and abnormal CCA IMTs respectively. The results showed that the CCA IMT was closely associated with carotid plaque.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.160-167
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of Intima-Media Thickness of common carotid artery(CCA-IMT) and The Second Derivative of Photoplethysmogram Waveforms(SDPTG). 38 subjects with acute ischemic stroke were recruited from the patients admitted to Dong-Eui Medical Center from the June 2013 to January 2014. We assessed 38 patient's SDPTG data and CCA-IMT data by B Mode ultrasonography. then 38 subjects were divided into two groups by the CCA-IMT difference; CCA-IMT 〈 0.8 mm group(n=11), CCA-IMT $$\geq_-$$ 0.8 mm group(n=27). We analyzed their characteristics, risk factor, blood test result, life style by CCA-IMT difference. As a result, Age, Hypertension were significantly higher in the CCA-IMT $$\geq_-$$ 0.8 mm group then in the CCA-IMT < 0.8 mm group. Regular exercise were significantly higher in the CCA-IMT < 0.8 mm group then in the CCA-IMT $$\geq_-$$ 0.8 mm group. The result of Multiple regression analysis on the factors affecting the CCA-IMT was hypertension, total cholesterol, age. and The result of Pearson's Correlation analysis on CCA-IMT and SDPTG is that e/a ratio, SDPTG AI were respectively and significantly correlated with CCA-IMT. According to the analysis, the Relationship between CCA-IMT and SDPTG in Ischemic Stroke Patients were founded. We suggest that further investigation with larger and better controlled trials of the Relationship between CCA-IMT and SDPTG could contribute to better understand the effects of risk factors on atherosclerosis.

• International Journal of Vascular Biomedical Engineering
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.6-13
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• 2005

Individual clinical significance of each layer of CCA (common carotid artery) has not been well studied. We intended to measure the intima thickness (IT), media thickness (MT), and intima-media thickness (IMT) of CCA separately and tried to analyze the clinical significance. One hundred fifty one consecutive patients (mean age: $57{\pm}15$ years; 77 males, 74 females) underwent CCA scanning using high-resolution ultrasound. The images were off-line analyzed using B-mode ultrasound image processing, devised for individual measurement of IT and MT as well as IMT. The mean coefficients of variation of new method measuring IT, MT, and IMT separately were 0.16% for IMT and 0.21% for both IT and MT. The IT (p < 0.01), MT (p < 0.01) as well as IMT (p < 0.001) of patients with atherosclerotic disease were significantly thicker than that of the patients without atherosclerotic disease. Patients with hypertension showed significantly thicker IT (p < 0.01), MT (p < 0.001), and IMT (p < 0.001) than that of the patients without hypertension. However, only IT was thicker in patients with smoking (p<0.01) than that of the patients without smoking.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.477-484
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• 2006

Objectives : This study was conducted to examine the association between the carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), plaque and cardiovascular risk factors according to gender and age. Methods : The data used for this study were obtained from 1,507 subjects (691 men, 816 women), aged 20-74 years, who participated in 'Prevalence study of thyroid diseases' in two counties of Jeollanam-do Province during July and August of 2004. The body mass index (BMI) and waist hip ratio (WHR) were calculated by anthropometry The blood pressure, pulse rate, pulse pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol and fasting blood sugar level were also measured. Ultrasonography was used to measure the carotid artery IMT and plaque. IMT measurements were performed at 6 sites, including both common carotid arteries, and the bulb and internal carotid arteries. The definition of the 'mean IMT' was mean value obtained from these 6 sites. Results : The ${\pm}$ standard deviation IMT values were $0.65{\pm}0.14\;and\;0.60{\pm}0.13mm$ in men and women (p<0.001), respectively. The data were analyzed according to gender and the 50 year age groups. In a multiple linear regression analysis, age and hypertension were positively associated with the mean IMT in both men and women, aged<50 years. Age, total cholesterol and smoking (current) were positively associated with the mean IMT in men $(\geq50\;years)$. Age was positively associated with the mean IMT in women $(\geq50\;years)$, but the HDL cholesterol level was negatively associated. The prevalence of plaques was 44.2%(196/443) in men and 19.4%(89/459) in women, for those greater than 50 years of age. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, age (OR=1.090, 95%CI=1.053-1.129), HDL cholesterol (OR=0.964, 95%CI=0.944-0.984), total cholesterol (OR=1.009, 95%CI=1.002-1.017)and BMI (OH=0.896, 95%CI=0.818-0.983) were independently associated with plaques in men; whereas, age (OR=1.057, 95%CI=1.012-1.103), HDL cholesterol (OR=0.959, 95%CI=0.932-0.986), pulse pressure (OR=1.029, 95%CI=1.007-1.050) and triglycerides (OR=0.531, 95%CI=0.300-0.941) were independently associated with plaques in women. Conclusions: There were significant gender and aging differences in the association between the IMT, plaque and cardiovascular risk factors. Therefore, for the prevention of atherosclerosis, selective approaches should be considered with regard to gender and age factors.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.399-405
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• 2007

This study examined 202 patients who was diagnosed as arteriosclerosis obliterans around carotid artery caused by its increase in IMT and who have been tested by carotid artery sonography. The results are as follows : 1. Out of 202 research subjects, 120(59.4%) were male, 82(40.6%) female, and the average age was 58. 2. Among the subjects, 54(26.7%) were diagnosed as DM, 60(29.7%) with hyperlipidemia, 86(42.6%) with hypertension, 61(30.2%) with EGK. 3. There was more increase in the left IMT than in the right IMT, more increase in male subjects than female subjects, and more increase with age. 4. The relationship between IMT & MRA was that subjects tested by MRA showed greater statistically significant correlation than those not tested by MRA(p < 0.01). 5. The increase in IMT was correlated with DM and HTN, but not with EKG and hyperlipidemia. 6. Among subjects tested by MRA, those diagnosed with MCA stenosis showed increase upto 0.94 in the left IMT and 0.96 in the right IMT ; there was a significant correlation(p < 0.01). Thicker IMT was positively correlated with diagnosis of MCA stenosis after MRA test.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.148-159
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• 2007

1. Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of Metabolic syndrome(MetS) and Intima-media thickness(IMT) of common carotid artery with Sasang constitution. 2. Methods 197 subjects who had taken health examinations and diagnosis of Sasang constitution from Jan 1, 2006 to Dec 31, 2006 at East-west health examination center of Kyung-Hee medical center were included and underwent B-mode ultrasonography for measurement of intima-media thickness of common carotid arteries. MetS was defined by the criteria of the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. 3. Results and Conclusions Mean intima-media thickness of common carotid artery was significantly higher in subjects with MetS compared with control subjects($0.070{\pm}0.017$ vs $0.063{\pm}0.014cm$) and a significant trend towards increased IMT was observed with increasing numbers of metabolic syndrome components(r=0.331, p=0.000). After adjustment for age and sex, IMT of common carotid arteries was significantly different among three constitutional groups (Soyangin:$0.065{\pm}0.015cm$, Taeumin:$0.068{\pm}0.016cm$, Soeumin:$0.056{\pm}0.010cm$), however, after adjustment for age, sex and existence of metabolic syndrome, there was no significant different. But, factor of Taeumin was the effective determinant of the increase of mean IMT of common carotid arteries.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.486-495
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• 2010

Objectives: The effect of meat consumption on cardiometabolic risk has been continuously studied, but their associations are not conclusive. The aim of this study is to examine the association between the consumption of meat or red meat and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in healthy Korean adults. Methods: This study evaluated 2374 community-dwelling adults (933 men and 1441 women) who were free of cardiovascular disease or cancer, living in a rural area in Korea. Total meat and red meat intakes were assessed with a validated 103 item-food frequency questionnaire. Carotid IMT was evaluated ultrasonographically, IMTmax was defined as the highest value among IMT of bilateral common carotid arteries. Results: After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the mean IMTmax tended to increase in higher meat consumption groups in both men and women with metabolic syndrome (p for trend= 0.027 and 0.049, respectively), but not in participants without metabolic syndrome. Frequent meat consumption (${\geq}5$ servings/week) was significantly associated with higher IMTmax in men with metabolic syndrome (by 0.08 mm, p=0.015). Whereas, the association was not significant in women (by 0.05 mm, p=0.115). Similar but attenuated findings were shown with red meat intake. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a higher meat consumption may be associated with a higher carotid IMT in Korean adults with metabolic syndrome. The frequent meat consumption (${\geq}5$ servings/week), compared with the others, was associated with a higher carotid IMTmax only in men with metabolic syndrome. Further research is required to explore optimal meat consumption in people with specific medical conditions.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.219-225
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• 2013

The primary goal of this study was to ascertain the primary factors to the affect for the carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and other risks can possibly influence the carotid artery IMT. All patients data (total specimens: 289, male: 197, female: 92) including the carotid artery ultrasonography examination. The all data were analyzed by the use of SPSS software, version 21.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL USA), with the descriptive statistics method. The Results of this study was found to be highly increased in the males than the females. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in all of the participants was 30.5 percentages. The carotid artery IMT in the subjects with metabolic syndrome was significantly high in both genders, compared to the rest, who were without metabolic syndrome. The Pearson's correlation coefficient of metabolic syndrome and CIMT was 0.378(p<0.01). In conclusions, the present study also supports the association between the carotid artery IMT and the metabolic syndromes with cardiovascular risk factors. Usage of B-mode ultrasonography to measure the carotid artery IMT was found to be highly effective in the current analysis.

• International Journal of Vascular Biomedical Engineering
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.25-30
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• 2006

We intended to measure the IT, MT, and the IMT of carotid artery separately and tried to analyze the clinical significance. Two hundred and fifty consecutive patients (125 males, 125 females) underwent carotid artery scanning using high-resolution ultrasound. The images were off-line analyzed using B-mode ultrasound image processing, devised in our research. We measured the IT, MT, and IMT semi-automatically at the far wall of designated 1cm length of the right common carotid and calculated the average values over the 200 points. The IT (p < 0.05), MT (p < 0.05) as well as IMT (p < 0.01) of patients with atherosclerotic disease were significantly thicker than that of the patients without atherosclerotic disease. Patients with hypertension showed significantly thicker IT (p < 0.05), MT (p < 0.01), and IMT (p < 0.01) than that of the patients without hypertension. However, only IT was thicker in patients with smoking (p < 0.05) than that of the patients without smoking. Smoking was associated only with intima while hypertension was associated with the all three layer's thickness. This result suggests the atherosclerotic process can be different by cardiovascular risk factors.

• Journal of information and communication convergence engineering
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.250-255
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• 2017

In this paper, we propose a method of detecting the region for measuring intima-media thickness (IMT). The existing methods for IMT measurement are automatic, but the region used for measuring IMT is not detected automatically but often set by the user. Therefore, research on detecting the intima-media region is needed for fully automated IMT measurement. The proposed method uses a morphological feature of the carotid artery visible as two long high-brightness horizontal lines at the upper and lower parts. It uses Gaussian blurring, ends-in search stretching, color quantization using a color-importance-based self-organizing map, and morphological operations to emphasize and to detect the morphological feature. The experimental results for evaluating the performance of the proposed method showed a 97.25% (106/109) success rate. Therefore, the proposed method can be used to develop a fully automated IMT measurement system.