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In recent years, great emphasis has been placed on the role of arterial stiffness in the development of cardiovascular disease. Indeed, arterial stiffness assessment is increasingly used in the clinical assessment of patients. Local measurements on superficial arteries (mainly the carotid artery) can be performed using ultrasound. This approach provides optimal conditions for a precise determination of arterial stiffness, because in this way the measurement is directly obtained from the change in pressure driving the change in volume, i.e., without using any mathematical model of the circulation.
Ultrasound imaging can also provide the value of the Carotid Intima Media Thickness (IMT), a measure of the thickness of the artery. This measurement is now widely used and well-accepted as an index of atherosclerosis. In addition, the stiffness and thickness of the artery can be combined to provide a value for the elastic properties of the arterial wall material (Young's elastic module).
Cardiologist's at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, discusses research that suggests that measuring the amount of artery disease a patient has may help physicians make more-informed recommendations by identifying patients at risk for cardiovascular events. The Carotid Intima Media Thickness (CIMT) test measures artery disease in the main artery in the neck simply and safely. If you are an older adult considering international travel, learn what precautions to take to stay safe and healthy during your trip. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/senior-citizens