Evidence mapPaperPMID 38014663Full record

SynthesisJournal of the American Heart Association2023

Varying Definitions of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Future Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Yong Ling, Yiming Wan, Emma Barinas-Mitchell, Akira Fujiyoshi, Hui Cui, Aikedan Maimaiti, Rong Xu, Jing Li, Chen Suo, Maryam Zaid

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of the American Heart Association, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
35citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
7.9field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

35 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Stress and cardiovascular disease: Testing a vigilance pathway in two contemporary theories.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2026
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  12. Subclinical atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis: a case cohort analysis from ELSA-Brasil.Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologicas · 2026
    Article
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  15. Investigation of the subclinical atherosclerosis risk in patients with migraine.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Yong LingDepartment of Epidemiology Fudan University Shanghai China.ORCID 0000-0002-2628-4203
Yiming WanDepartment of Epidemiology Fudan University Shanghai China.
Emma Barinas-MitchellDepartment of Epidemiology University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7280-7781
Akira FujiyoshiDepartment of Hygiene Wakayama Medical University Wakayama Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-5790-7119
Hui CuiDepartment of Epidemiology Fudan University Shanghai China.ORCID 0000-0002-1758-4001
Aikedan MaimaitiDepartment of Epidemiology Fudan University Shanghai China.ORCID 0009-0008-9241-7394
Rong XuDepartment of Epidemiology Fudan University Shanghai China.ORCID 0000-0002-1280-2460
Jing LiSongjiang District Zhongshan Street Community Healthcare Center Shanghai China.
Chen SuoDepartment of Epidemiology Fudan University Shanghai China.ORCID 0000-0002-5274-4584
Maryam ZaidDepartment of Epidemiology Fudan University Shanghai China.ORCID 0009-0008-5478-2091
Fudan University · CNSongjiang District Central Hospital · CNUniversity of Pittsburgh · USWakayama Medical University · JP

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCarotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) has been widely used as a predictor of future cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, various definitions of cIMT exist. This study provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of the associations between different cIMT definitions and CVD. METHODS AND

resultsA systematic review of the different cIMT definitions used in prospective cohort studies was performed. The relationships between cIMT of different definitions (common carotid artery IMT [CCA-IMT], internal carotid artery IMT [ICA-IMT], combined segments [combined-IMT], mean CCA-IMT, and maximum CCA-IMT) with future stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), and CVD events were analyzed using random effects models. Among 2287 articles, 18 articles (14 studies) with >10 different cIMT definitions were identified and included in our meta-analysis. After adjusting for age and sex, a 1-SD increase in CCA-IMT was associated with future stroke (hazard ratio [HR], 1.32 [95% CI, 1.27-1.38]), MI (HR, 1.27 [95% CI, 1.22-1.33]), and CVD events (HR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.19-1.37]). A 1-SD increase in ICA-IMT was related to future stroke (HR, 1.25 [95% CI, 1.11-1.42]) and CVD events (HR, 1.25 [95% CI, 1.04-1.50]) but not MI (HR, 1.26 [95% CI, 0.98-1.61]). A 1-SD increase in combined-IMT was associated with future stroke (HR, 1.30 [95% CI, 1.08-1.57]) and CVD events (HR, 1.36 [95% CI, 1.23-1.49]). Maximum CCA-IMT was more strongly related than mean CCA-IMT with risk of MI, and both measures were similarly associated with stroke and CVD events.

conclusionsCombined-IMT is more strongly associated with CVD events compared with single-segment cIMT definitions. Maximum CCA-IMT shows a stronger association with MI than mean CCA-IMT. Further research is warranted to validate our findings and to standardize the cIMT measurement protocol, as well as to explore underlying mechanisms.

Indexed as

Cardiovascular DiseasesMyocardial InfarctionStrokeCarotid Artery, CommonCarotid Intima-Media ThicknessHumansProspective StudiesRisk Factorsatherosclerosiscardiovascular disease riskcarotid intima‐media thicknessmeta‐analysissegment/definition

Identifiers

PMID38014663
PMCPMC10727343
OpenAlexW4389087287

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.