This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Wada, T. Articles by Wada, T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wada, T. Articles by Wada, T. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Relationship Between Ultrasound Assessment of Arterial Wall Properties and Blood Pressure

Kentaro Fujishiro, MD, SJSUM

Tsutomu Fukumoto, MD

Sayaka Yamazaki, MD

Takashi Wada, MD, FAHA, FJSUM

Department of Preventive Medicine Jikei University School of Medicine 3-25-8 Nishi-shinbashi Minato-ku, Tokyo 105, Japan

Physical properties of an artery can be described in terms of stiffness, distensibility, and compliance. Changes in these properties can predict atherosclerosis disease, but it is necessary to identify an index that is independent of changes in blood pressure. We measured common carotid artery diameter and pulsatile change with an ultrasonic phase- locked, echo-tracking system in 7 subjects whose mean brachial blood pressure had varied 15 mm Hg or more within a month. Patients taking antihypertensive agents were excluded from the study. We measured changes in arterial diameter (n=41) at least four times during the study period and calculated the pressure-strain elastic modulus (Ep), distensibility coefficient (DC), cross-sectional compliance (CC) and stiffness parameter (β) from inner diameter, its pulsatile change, and blood pressure. The correlation coeffi cients of mean blood pressure with each index are as follows: Ep, 0.53; DC, 0.58; CC, 0.63; β, 0.21. When mean blood pressure increased 1 mm Hg, the change in each index at 100 mm Hg was as follows: Ep, 1.48 ±1.30%; DC, -1.05 ±0.97%; CC, -0.69 ±0.90%; β, 0.45 ±1.11%. Among the four indices that measure the properties of the arterial walls, stiffness parameter β was the least dependent on blood pressure. Thus, it appears to have usefulness as an index of arterial wall sclerosis.

Angiology, Vol. 48, No. 10, 893-900 (1997)
DOI: 10.1177/000331979704801006


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?