What Do Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Plaque Add to the Prediction of Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Older Adults? The Cardiovascular Health Study

In older adults, the addition of CIMT modestly improves 10-year risk prediction for stroke and CVD beyond a traditional risk factor model, mainly by down-classifying risk in those without stroke or CVD; the addition of plaque to CIMT adds no statistical benefit in the overall cohort, although there is evidence of down-classification in those without events.