To assess locally deviating structural and mechanical properties of arterial walls, the spatial variance in end-diastolic intima media thickness (IMT) and the change in IMT during the cardiac cycle (IMT) will be determined along a short segment of the common carotid artery (15.86 mm), at 16 positions simultaneously. Intra-subject spatial inhomogeneities along the artery are revealed by a spatial variance significantly larger than the temporal variance over several beats. If differences between positions are confirmed, the extent of the inhomogeneity is obtained by comparison of IMT and IMT at each position with the spatial median ± the least significant difference. Since no inter-subject comparisons are necessary, a single session of several measurements is sufficient to assess inhomogeneities in the arterial wall properties of a subject, making the method independent of biological variability between subjects. The method is evaluated on 47 presumed healthy subjects (age range 21-75 years). In 22 subjects spatial inhomogeneities in IMT occur (p<0.05). In young subjects IMT is locally decreased, i.e. in systole inhomogeneities are less compressed than their surrounding tissue. In older subjects IMT is locally increased, i.e. the inhomogeneity is locally more compressed than its surrounding wall tissue.