Dedicated to preventing heart attacks and strokes
Find out Your True Risk of
Heart Attack and Stroke with
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness at COASTAL CIMT
Each year 1.4 million people in the U.S. have a heart attack.
More than 500,000 die from it. 700,000 people will have a stroke.
2/3 unexpected CARDIAC DEATHS occur without prior symptoms!
TRADITIONAL RISK FACTORS
Age over 40 Tobacco User Diabetes / Prediabetes
Family History High Blood Pressure Abnormal Cholesterol
Traditional risk factors and laboratory markers are terribly inadequate in identifying an individual's vascular risk. Consequently, truly high risk individuals often overlooked. Thus they do not receive adequate treatment. Other individuals are at lower risk than previously thought, and may be treated unnecessarily for the rest of their lives.
80% of heart attacks occur in individuals thought to be at
low to intermediate risk by traditional risk factor assessment.
Research has proven that aggressive treatment with lifestyle modification and medication can halt or even reverse the progression of atherosclerotic plaque - reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke as much as 40%.
Atherosclerosis is the Culprit
Atherosclerosis, commonly called hardening of the arteries, is a gradual build up of fatty cholesterol deposits in the artery wall. It progresses gradually to form a plaque which can rupture, causing a blood clot that produces a heart attack or stroke. Aggressive treatment has been shown to halt or even reverse the progression of atherosclerotic plaque.
What is Carotid Intima-Media Thickness?
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) is a sophisticated ultrasound test used extensively in clinical research to precisely measure the thickness of the the first two layers of the artery wall (intima-media) where blood flow blocking plaque first develops. The intima-media thickness of the easily accessible common carotid artery has 90% correlation with the arteries in the heart and the rest of the body. The higher the CIMT, the greater the risk of cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes). Measurement of CIMT is recommended by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology for early detection of atherosclerosis.
How is the Test Performed?
CIMT is a painless, noninvasive 15 minute ultrasound test that does not involve injections, pills or radiation. The sonographer applies conducting gel to the skin over your neck, and then uses a small hand-held transducer to image the carotid arteries.
Arteriovision
™ sophisticated computer software precisely measures the thickness of the intima and media layers of the carotid artery walls.
Arteriovision
™ CIMT has been used by scientists in over 40,000 patients to measure the effectiveness of exercise, diet, and medications on the progression of atherosclerosis.
What is Vascular Age
Atherosclerosis (fatty cholesterol plaque in the artery wall) develops in the inner two layers (intima-media) of the artery wall. After measurements are taken, Arteriovision ™ software used by Coastal CIMT compares each CIMT measurement to that of individuals of the same age and sex in a California Institute of Technology database of 15,000 people to determine your true risk of a heart attack and your vascular age (artery age). When your vascular age is less than your actual age, you have a lower risk for heart disease. If your vascular age exceeds your actual age, more aggressive treatment of risk factors is needed to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral artery disease. With aggressive treatment with lifestyle management and medication, it is possible to slow down or even reverse atherosclerosis. Follow-up CIMT's can be done at one to two year intervals to evaluate the effectiveness of those therapies.
Early detection can lead to effective intervention.
It is never too late to reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke.
