Spectral Doppler and automated software-guided ultrasound assessment of bilateral common carotid intima-media thickness in spondyloarthritis: is there a correlation with clinical findings?

José Alexandre Mendonça PhD, Beatriz Bisetto de Andrade MD, José Luis Braga de Aquino PhD, Vania Aparecida Leandro-Merhi PhD, Guilherme B Damian MD

Abstract

Background and aim: Limited information is currently available about whether carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) correlates with the degree of disease activity in spondyloarthritis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between articular and carotid ultrasound data and laboratory and clinical variables in patients with spondyloarthritis.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with spondyloarthritis, recruited consecutively via the spondyloarthritis service of the Universidade Pontifícia Católica de Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, were assessed using carotid artery ultrasound (radiofrequency quality intima-media thickness, RF-QIMT), joint ultrasound, clinical evaluation, and laboratory tests.

Results: Mean (standard deviation, SD) carotid RF-QIMT was 0.643 (0.16) mm. Mean (SD) resistive index (RI) values for the right and left carotid arteries were 0.67 (0.12) and 0.82 (0.38), respectively. Mean (SD) RI values for the right and left sacroiliac joints were 1.10 (0.97) and 0.94 (0.13), respectively. Several significant correlations were detected between ultrasound, clinical, and laboratory variables. Notably, there were correlations between sacroiliac RI and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p=0.027) and RF-QIMT (p=0.037); between RF-QIMT and Framingham score (p=0.012) and metabolic parameters, including abdominal waist measurement, body mass index (BMI) (p=0.032 to p=0.044).

Conclusions: In patients with spondyloarthritis, RF-QIMT detected atherosclerotic changes in the carotid artery wall, and spectral Doppler detected inflammatory activity in sacroiliac joints. Positive correlations were observed between these ultrasound findings and parameters reflecting patients’ metabolic profile and alterations in inflammatory markers.

Article Details

Article Type

Original Research

DOI

10.7573/dic.212538

Publication Dates

Accepted: ; Published: .

Citation

Mendonça JA, Bisetto de Andrade B, Braga de Aquino JL, Leandro-Merhi VA, Damian GB. Spectral Doppler and automated software-guided ultrasound assessment of bilateral common carotid intima-media thickness in spondyloarthritis: is there a correlation with clinical findings? Drugs in Context 2018; 7: 212538. DOI: 10.7573/dic.212538

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