September 4, 2007 - Siemens Medical Solutions expanded its portfolio of ultrasound applications with the syngo Arterial Health Package (AHP) that calculates cardiovascular risks by measuring the carotid intima media thickness and determining the so-called vascular age, the relative age of the vessel.
Together with other factors, such as cholesterol values and blood pressure, the physician can use the results of syngo AHP to better assess a patient's myocardial or stroke-related risk and establish an individual prevention and treatment plan.
The syngo Arterial Health Package (AHP) determines the vascular age, the advance of atherosclerotic burden and displays it to the patient. Knowing the vascular age supports the physician in more accurately determining the personal risk of a patient to develop coronary heart disease, in rendering a prognosis and in developing a prevention and therapy plan. The new ultrasound application provides a measurement of the intima media thickness of the carotid, the innermost layer of the carotid vessel wall. An abnormal widening of the intima media is considered evidence of threatening or already existing arteriosclerosis.
In addition, syngo AHP takes into account the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) database to determine the risk index from the Framingham Heart Study using the relative vascular age rather than the chronological age of the patient.
For more information: www.medical.siemens.com