Carotid artery longitudinal wall motion alterations associated with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance

Background and aims: Our objective was to study relationships between the new biomarker of vascular health, carotid artery longitudinal wall motion (CALM) and metabolic syndrome (MetS).Methods: Carotid ultrasound and assessment of MetS and its components were performed with 281 subjects aged 30-45 years. In the longitudinal motion analysis, the amplitude of motion and the antegrade-oriented and retrograde-oriented components of motion between the intima-media complex and adventitial layer of the common carotid artery wall were assessed.Results: Metabolic syndrome, according to the harmonized criteria, was detected in 53 subjects (19%). MetS was significantly associated with increased antegrade and decreased retrograde longitudinal motion in the carotid artery wall. Augmented antegrade amplitude of longitudinal motion was associated with obesity (β = 0.149, p p p p p Conclusion: Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance were associated with alterations in CALM. In particular, hypertension, obesity and hyperinsulinaemia were associated with reduced total peak-to-peak amplitude as well as increased antegrade and reduced retrograde amplitudes, all of which might be markers of unfavourable vascular health.</div

Carotid Wall Longitudinal Motion in Ultrasound Imaging: An Expert Consensus Review

International audienceMotion extracted from the carotid artery wall provides unique information for vascular health evaluation. Carotid artery longitudinal wall motion corresponds to the multiphasic arterial wall excursion in the direction parallel to blood flow during the cardiac cycle. While this motion phenomenon has been well characterized, there is a general lack of awareness regarding its implications for vascular health assessment or even basic vascular physiology. In the last decade, novel estimation strategies and clinical investigations have greatly advanced our understanding of the bi-axial behavior of the carotid artery, necessitating an up-to-date review to summarize and classify the published literature in collaboration with technical and clinical experts in the field. Within this review, the state-of-the-art methodologies for carotid wall motion estimation are described, and the observed relationships between longitudinal motion-derived indices and vascular health are reported. The vast number of studies describing the longitudinal motion pattern in plaque-free arteries, with its putative application to cardiovascular disease prediction, point to the need for characterizing the added value and applicability of longitudinal motion beyond established biomarkers. To this aim, the main purpose of this review was to provide a strong base of theoretical knowledge, together with a curated set of practical guidelines and recommendations for longitudinal motion estimation in patients, to foster future discoveries in the field, toward the integration of longitudinal motion in basic science as well as clinical practice