الفهرس 
introduction
structural plan of blood vesselsOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a common cardiovascular disease of large and medium-sized arteries. It is characterized by endothelial dysfunction, vascular inflammation, and the deposition of lipids, cholesterol, calcium, and cellular debris within the intima of the vessel wall.
It is a chronic, progressive, inflammatory disease with a long asymptomatic phase. Disease progression can lead eventually to the occurrence of acute cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction, unstable angina and sudden cardiac death.
It is difficult to accurately determine the true frequency of atherosclerosis because it is a predominantly asymptomatic condition. Atherosclerotic disease in both its subclinical and clinically established phases is widely prevalent throughout the world.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of mortality worldwide. Identifying the “vulnerable patient” is clinically important because the initial manifestation of CVD is sudden death in approximately 20% of patients; the prognosis of those who survive a vascular event is poor.
The increase of intima-media thickness (IMT) is the earliest morphological alteration of arterial wall detectable with ultrasonography (US) and, together with the presence of nonstenotic plaques; it has been related to the presence of vascular
ED, cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), previous cardiovascular events.
Clinical trial data suggest that the presence of ED in otherwise healthy men and in those with type 2 diabetes may be associated with early (subclinical) signs of CAD that may not be detectable during stress testing.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the persistent inability to achieve and then maintain an erection to permit satisfactory sexual intercourse.
Organic ED (i.e. that with an underlying physical etiology) and coronary artery disease (CAD) are closely linked, as they are both consequences of endothelial dysfunction, leading to restrictions in blood flow. Similar risk factors have been identified for both conditions, including obesity, diabetes, smoking, hypertension and dyslipidaemia.
Furthermore, the presence of ED is associated with more severe CAD as silent atherosclerosis that may have been developing for a number of years prior to symptom onset. ED is associated with increased all-cause mortality primarily due to increased cardiovascular mortality.
In our study, eligible subjects include 74 male patients with arteriogenic ED & 74 healthy controls. The mean age of the patient group was 47.2 ± 8.4 years (37-68 years). The mean age of the control group was 47.9 ± 8.4 years (37-66 years).