Validation and Reproducibility of Total Plaque Thickness in Carotid and Femoral Arteries Using Ultrasound.

OBJECTIVE: Plaque burden quantification by ultrasound improves cardiovascular (CV) risk prediction. However, measuring total plaque volume (TPV) with 3-D ultrasound, the current gold standard, is time consuming. In the present study we investigated the reproducibility of weighted total plaque thickness (wTPT) measured by 2-D ultrasound and its correlation with TPV. METHODS: Participants in an ongoing study of subclinical atherosclerosis and CV risk with no known atherosclerotic CV disease but who were found to have one or more plaques in carotid or femoral arteries by 2-D ultrasound were included. A total of 34 women and 26 men (mean age: 59.4 y, standard deviation: 8.7) underwent primary 2-D and 3-D ultrasound examinations. Participants then underwent a 2-D ultrasound examination by another radiologist blinded to the first radiologist's findings. Finally, all participants underwent a follow-up 2-D ultrasound by the first radiologist. RESULTS: Comparison of wTPT measurements between the 2-D studies revealed no significant difference (mean difference: 0.29 mm, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.48 to 1.17). Inter-observer and intra-observer analyses revealed intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.97 (95% CI: 0.96-0.98) and 1.0 (95% CI: 0.99-1.00), respectively. wTPT correlated with TPV (Spearman's ρ = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.96-0.99). Elapsed time for assessing wTPT was less than that for TPV (mean difference: 36.1 min, 95% CI: 26.0-46.3). CONCLUSION: wTPT had high reproducibility and correlation with TPV while requiring substantially less time. Future studies addressing the role of wTPT in predicting CV disease are needed.

Height and body mass index in relation to colorectal and gallbladder cancer in two million Norwegian men and women.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed at exploring the relations between BMI and stature and colorectal and gallbladder cancer in a huge Norwegian cohort with measured height and weight. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Height and weight were measured in two million Norwegian men and women aged 20-74 during 1963-2001. During follow-up, 47,117 colorectal and 1715 gallbladder cancer cases were registered. Relative risks (RRs) of colorectal and gallbladder cancer were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: The risk of colon cancer increased with increasing BMI in men; the RR of colon cancer per unit increase in BMI was 1.04 (95% CI: 1.04-1.05). For mucinous colorectal adenocarcinomas, the risk increased to a larger extent with increasing BMI in both sexes. The RR of colorectal cancer associated with 10 cm increase in height was 1.14 (95% CI: 1.11-1.16) in men and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.14-1.20) in women. The risk of gallbladder cancer increased with increasing BMI in women; the overall RR associated with one unit increase in BMI was 1.06 (95% CI: 1.04-1.07). There was no association between height and gallbladder cancer in either sex. CONCLUSION: The risk of colon cancer increased with increasing BMI in men, and the risk of gallbladder cancer increased with increasing BMI in women. In both sexes, the risk of colon cancer increased with increasing height.