Ultrasonic apparatus and method for providing quantitative indication of risk of coronary heart disease
First Claim
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1. A diagnostic ultrasound machine comprising:
- an ultrasonic transducer positionable near the carotid artery to obtain echo signals from the carotid artery;
a processing circuit communicating with the ultrasonic transducer and operating to;
(i) process the echo signal to reveal carotid intima-medial thickness (CIMT);
(ii) apply the revealed CIMT to stored first data relating the CIMT to vascular age to determine vascular age (iii) apply the determined vascular age to stored second data relating vascular age to the quantified risk of heart disease, and (iv) output the quantified of risk of heart disease.
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Abstract
An ultrasound machine measures coronary intima-medial thickness and relates it to a statistically derived vascular age. Quantitative risk of coronary heart disease may be calculated using vascular age to substitute for chronological age in publicly available risk assessment data.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A diagnostic ultrasound machine comprising:
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an ultrasonic transducer positionable near the carotid artery to obtain echo signals from the carotid artery;
a processing circuit communicating with the ultrasonic transducer and operating to;
(i) process the echo signal to reveal carotid intima-medial thickness (CIMT);
(ii) apply the revealed CIMT to stored first data relating the CIMT to vascular age to determine vascular age (iii) apply the determined vascular age to stored second data relating vascular age to the quantified risk of heart disease, and (iv) output the quantified of risk of heart disease. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A diagnostic ultrasound machine comprising:
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an ultrasonic transducer positionable near the carotid artery to obtain echo signals from the carotid artery;
a processing circuit communicating with the ultrasonic transducer and operating to;
(i) process the echo signal to reveal carotid intima-medial thickness (CIMT);
(ii) apply the revealed CIMT to stored data relating CIMT of a population to a vascular age indicating statistical derived age of an individual having the revealed CIMT in a standard population; and
(iii) output the vascular age. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of deducing a quantified risk of heart disease for an individual having a given chronological age and a given carotid intima-medial thickness (CIMT) comprising the steps of:
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(a) deducing a vascular age of the individual differing from the given chronological age such as would place the individual'"'"'s given CIMT in a median of CIMT for that vascular age for a standard population;
(b) using the vascular age as an input for chronological age in a Framingham model of heart disease to provide an estimate of cardiac heart disease; and
(c) providing the individual with the vascular age and estimate of cardiac heart disease.
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Specification