Who is the study for?
IMT measurement is recommended for middle-aged people with intermediate cardiovascular risk, when the decision to initiate preventive therapy is not obvious: with borderline cholesterol, a family history of early heart attacks, smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. The study takes 10–15 minutes, requires no preparation and provides an objective number that can be tracked over time. IMT thickening places the patient in a higher risk category, and its stabilization during treatment confirms the effectiveness of therapy.
Why ultrasound is the first line method
Ultrasound does not use ionizing radiation, is fast, inexpensive, and provides images in real time. Therefore, it begins with the diagnosis of most diseases of internal organs, thyroid and mammary glands, blood vessels, joints and soft tissues.
A separate advantage is the ability to evaluate not only structure, but also movement: blood flow in the vessels, heart contractions, peristalsis, and fetal movements. Neither CT nor MRI in standard mode show this.
Ultrasound modes
- B-mode - a conventional two-dimensional gray scale image of the organ structure
- Dopplerography - assessment of the speed and direction of blood flow in the vessels
- duplex scanning - a combination of vessel imaging and blood flow analysis
- 4D - volumetric image in real time
What influences the quality of research
Ultrasound does not pass through air and does not pass well through dense bone tissue. Therefore, gases in the intestines interfere with examination of the pancreas, and the lungs and brain of an adult are inaccessible for examination. This explains the preparation requirements: diet and fasting study significantly improve visualization.
The second important factor is the doctor: ultrasound diagnostics largely depends on the experience of the specialist, since the image is assessed at the time of the examination.