| Summary: | Objective: Atherosclerotic disease is caused by a combination of systemic, and local factors. The influence of local geometry (affecting local flow conditions) is often neglected. In contrast to the carotid artery, at the iliac-femoral artery region, a large degree of bilateral asymmetry exists. Therefore, our aim was to determine the influence of body side on the prevalence of atherosclerosis (i.e. plaque and intima-media thickening; IMT) at the carotid and femoral arteries.
Methods: Data were used from the ASKLEPIOS study, including 2524 apparently healthy subjects with a mean age of 46 year (range 35–55). Echographic images were obtained bilaterally at the common carotid and common femoral arteries. A single observer approach was used for the acquisition and quantification of plaques and IMT.
Results: The carotid artery displays almost no left-right difference in IMT values nor plaques. In contrast, the femoral artery displays substantially more atherosclerosis on the right side. Specifically, the IMT distribution at the right common femoral artery is more skewed (Percentile 90 right: 1.11 mm, left 1.01 mm; p<0.001), which is mirrored by a significantly higher plaque prevalence (right 21.9 vs left 15.7 %; p<0.001).
Conclusions: Atherosclerotic lesions are more prevalent at the right than at the left femoral artery. This finding highlights the role of local arterial geometry on the development of atherosclerosis, and underscores the importance of the choice of body side when assessing vascular health.
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