Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of carotid arterial intima-media thickness(IMT) with coronary heart disease (CHD) and risk factors of cardiovascular disease.Methods IMT was measured by high resolusion Bmode ultrssound in 94 elderly subjects. The studied population were divided into three groups:① 32 subjects with normal cholesterol; ② 16 subjects with bordline hypercholesterolemia; ③ 46 subjects with hypercholesterolemia.Results The IMT was not significantly different among three groups with various cholesterol levels,whereas the IMT was positively correlated with age,blood pressure, serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. The incidences of hypertension, smoking, cerebral infarction and CHD were obviously highten in the subjects with IMT>1. 0 mm compared with IMT<1.0 mm. Age was determined as an independent factor for intima-media thickening on multivariate Logistic regression. Conclusion Carotid artery IMT was affected, to various extent, by multi-factors in the elderly. Carotid arterial IMT, as a noninvasive index, could be used to observe the change of atherosclerosis in the elderly.