Prevalence of Corotidenary Atheroma in Patients with Coronary Disease: Results of a Monocentric Transverse Study in the Algerian East
Authors: Merghit Rachid , Gueriane Ikhlas , Lakehal Abdelhak , AIT Athmane Mouloud , Merghit Rachid 
Published: February 2020

Introduction: Patients with ischemic heart disease often have many damages of another vascular territory
sometimes without clinical translation, these associations are important to know. Carotid involvement is the
most important in terms of morbidity and cardiovascular mortality.
Objective: In our study we have studied the prevalence of carotid atheroma in coronary patients recruited
in cardiology in the university hospital centers of the city of Constantine.
Patients and Methods: Our study is descriptive, cross-sectional, monocentric performed in units of
cardiovascular exploration of the Regional University Hospital of Constantine. Included subjects had at
least one significant coronary lesion ≥50 on a main coronary artery, for each patient, a guided anamnesis
and a cardiovascular clinical examination preceded the realization of the supra aortic trunk echodoppler by
a vividE9 General Electric ultrasound system started in January 2014, using a linear scanning probe 12L,
intended for peripheral vascular exploration, allowing for targeted screening and a precise lesion
description. The TSA echodoppler is said to be pathological, if it was at least one atheromatous plaque and
/ or hemodynamic damage, on one of the carotid axes (common carotid, internal carotid, external carotid),
or a carotid intima- media thickness IMT ≥ 1mm. The processing and exploitation of the data made use of
SPSS22 software. The processing and exploitation of the data made use of SPSS22 software.
Results: Three hundred coronary patients, middle aged of 61 with predominantly male net, were included.
The average IMT of our population was higher among men than women; significant difference (P = 0.042).
51% of our global population had at least one atheromatous lesion on the left common carotid (LCC),
dominated by atheromatous plaques (49.7%), hemodynamic lesions were observed in 1.3% of our coronary
patients. The same finding was noted for the right common carotid (RCC), affected in 51.4% of our
population whose predominant lesions were atheromatous plaques in 50.7%, followed by hemodynamic
damages (0.7%).49.3% and 49% of our global population had at least one lesion on the left internal carotid
(LIC), and the right internal carotid (RIC). Hemodynamic lesions were more frequent on RIC (5% vs 2%).
47% and 49% of our global population respectively had at least one attack on LEC and REC. Hemodynamic
damages were observed in 1.7% on LEC and 1.3% on REC.
Conclusion: Despite the development of vascular functional explorations, there is currently no argument
about screening for extracardiac atherosclerotic lesions in populations of selected asymptomatic subjects,
according to age criteria or risk factors. In practice, it is when a localization of atherosclerosis becomes
symptomatic that the problem of a possible lesional association arises. Coronary artery disease is the most
important in terms of morbidity and mortality, and it is often in the context of ischemic heart disease
assessment that the modalities for evaluating the extension of atheromatous disease are discussed. These
vascular lesions, however, have a significant prognostic importance, like the other comorbidities associated.
The search for these lesions therefore seems important to adapt the therapeutic arsenal at the individual
level.