We would like to begin by expressing our gratitude for the interest shown in our research [1,2].
We agree that a composite carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT) measurement that includes the common carotid artery (CCA), the carotid bifurcation and internal carotid artery (ICA) could provide more accurate measurement, but this type of measurement was not conducted for several reasons. First, as already mentioned, there is no universally accepted standardized measurement protocol and most studies were performed using only CCA IMT [3]. CCA IMT is a well-known marker of atherosclerosis and its association with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events has been proven repeatedly [4,5,6]. The measurement of CCA IMT is easier to obtain and is highly reliable with less variability in measurements [6,7].
To conclude, although we agree our study protocol has its limitations, we believe that it provided more feasible patient examination and more comparable results.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
- Bažadona, D.; Matovinović, M.; Krbot Skorić, M.; Grbavac, H.; Belančić, A.; Malojčić, B. The Interconnection between Carotid Intima–Media Thickness and Obesity: Anthropometric, Clinical and Biochemical Correlations. Medicina 2023, 59, 1512. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Saleh, C. Comment on Bažadona et al. The Interconnection between Carotid Intima–Media Thickness and Obesity: Anthropometric, Clinical and Biochemical Correlations. Medicina 2023, 59, 1512. Medicina 2024, 60, 981. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ling, Y.; Wan, Y.; Barinas-Mitchell, E.; Fujiyoshi, A.; Cui, H.; Maimaiti, A.; Xu, R.; Li, J.; Suo, C.; Zaid, M. Varying Definitions of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Future Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J. Am. Heart Assoc. 2023, 12, e031217. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Simons, P.C.; Algra, A.; Bots, M.L.; Grobbee, D.E.; van der Graaf, Y. Common carotid intima-media thickness and arterial stiffness: Indicators of cardiovascular risk in high-risk patients the SMART study (Second Manifestations of ARTerial Disease). Circulation 1999, 100, 951–957. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Bots, M.L.; Hoes, A.W.; Koudstaal, P.J.; Hofman, A.; Grobbee, D.E. Common carotid intima-media thickness and risk of stroke and myocardial infarction: The Rotterdam Study. Circulation 1997, 96, 1432–1437. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Frauchiger, B.; Schmid, H.P.; Roedel, C.; Moosmann, P.; Staub, D. Comparison of carotid arterial resistive indices with intima-media thickness as sonographic markers of atherosclerosis. Stroke 2001, 32, 836–841. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- O’Leary, D.H.; Polak, J.F.; Wolfson, S.K., Jr.; Bond, M.G.; Bommer, W.; Sheth, S.; Psaty, B.M.; Sharrett, A.R.; Manolio, T.A. Use of sonography to evaluate carotid atherosclerosis in the elderly: The cardiovascular health study. Stroke 1991, 22, 1155–1163. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).