Diabetes technology & therapeutics
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Diabetes Technol. Ther. · Sep 2014
Multicenter Study Observational StudyCarotid artery ultrasonographic assessment in patients from the Fremantle Diabetes Study Phase II with carotid bruits detected by electronic auscultation.
Electronic auscultation appears superior to acoustic auscultation for identifying hemodynamic abnormalities. The aim of this study was to determine whether carotid bruits detected by electronic stethoscope in patients with diabetes are associated with stenoses and increased carotid intima-medial thickness (CIMT). ⋯ Electronic recording of carotid sounds for later interpretation is convenient and reliable. Most patients with stenoses had an overlying bruit. Most bruits were false positives, but ultrasonography is justified to document extent of disease; CIMT measurement will identify increased vascular risk in most of these patients. The absence of a bruit was rarely a false-negative finding, suggesting that these patients can usually be reassured that they do not have hemodynamically important stenosis.