A new Swiss study suggests that showing images of arterial plaque to the smokers in the smoking cessation programme doesn’t improve quit smoking rates, reports Reuters.

Researchers at the University Hospital in Bern, Switzerland randomly assigned around 500 smokers aged between 40 and 70 years to a carotid plaque ultrasonographic screening group and a control group, notes the news agency.

After giving individual counselling and nicotine replacement therapy to smokers in each group, study authors evaluated the participants twelve months later, to find whether they had quit smoking or not.

The study published in Archives of Internal Medicine found that smoking cessation rates did not differ between the ultrasound and control groups (24.9% in screening group and 22.1% in control group).

In the study spearheaded by Dr Nicolas Rodondi, quit smoking rates in the screening group were no different in the smokers who had plaques in arteries, when compared with those with no carotid plaque.

Dr Nicolas Rodondi told Reuters that the carotid artery screening is far more expensive than a smoking cessation program and can’t be afforded by all. He further adds that more research is required to be done on smokers who are not motivated to quit or who don\'t have access to smoking cessation counselling.

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Patrick O'Malley of the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland, told the UK-based newswire that carotid plaque screening failed to motivate smokers to quit smoking.