The static elastic properties of arterial tree (abdominal aorta and common carotid artery) were studied in 19 normal subjects and in 49 patients with myocardial infarction with an ultrasonic phase-locked echo-tracking system that allows continuous transcutaneous measurement of the arterial diameter. The stifTness index (, which represented the mechanical properties in the arterial wall, was calculated from the relation between systemic blood pressure and the diameter of the artery. Patients with myocardial infarction underwent coronary angiography in their convalescent period to determine involved vessels. In 11 patients, coronary artery was patent; 15 patients had one-vessel disease, 12 had two-vessel disease, and the remaining 11 patients had three-vessel disease. In normal subjects, increasing age was associated with an increase in arterial stiffness. An average value of the stiffiess index of the abdominal aorta was 8.58±3.02 (mean± SD) and that of common carotid artery was 9.17±2.22. In patients with three-vessel disease, these values were significantly higher (22.37± 4.29 in abdominal aorta and 13.17 ±4.56 in common carotid artery) than those in normal subjects. Stiffness index of patients with two-or one-vessel disease was also increased but lower than those in patients with three-vessel disease (p<0.05). Forty-four of 49 patients with infarction had an arterial stiffness index of abdominal aorta higher than the 95% confidence limits of the normal data (p<0.05).Twenty-eight patients were outside the nomogram of common carotid artery (p<0.05). The mechanical properties of these elastic arteries provided sufficiently reliable information on changes caused by atherosclerosis. (Circulation 1989;80:78-86) T he amount of severity of atherosclerosis in the coronary bed shows a positive correlation with the degree of atherosclerosis in the aorta or other major arterial branches.1-5 Atherosclerotic changes in arterial wall have been shown to include smooth muscle cell proliferation, deposition of lipid, and accumulation of collagen, elastin, and proteoglycans.6,7 Changes in the ratio of collagen to elastin have been known to structurally affect the elastic behavior of arterial walls. The former is much stiffer than the latter, the elastic modulus (Young's modulus) being about 1,000x 106 dynes/ cm' at 100% elongation in collagen and only 3 x 106 dynes/cm2 in elastin.8,9 However, conflicting results

The static mechanical properties of major branches of the human arteries (common carotid artery, abdominal aorta, femoral artery, and brachial artery) were studied in 39 subjects, aged 6-81 years, using an ultrasonic phase locked echo tracking system that allows continuous transcutaneous measurement of the diameter of the artery. The stiffness indices were calculated from the relation between systemic blood pressure and arterial diameter. With advancing age there was a significant increase in the diameter of all arteries with a reduction in percentage change in diameter. The stiffness index increased with age in all arteries; however, in the brachial and femoral arteries there was considerable variation in the individual values for a given age. The age associated increase in stiffness was statistically significant only in the common carotid artery and the abdominal aorta. Although the mechanical properties of the peripheral arteries were significantly influenced by the measuring environment, the calculated stiffness indices were less vulnerable to these stimuli in the central arteries. These results indicate that the stiffness indices of the peripheral muscular arteries are modified appreciably by vasoactive stimuli and that the mechanical properties of the deeper elastic arteries provide sufficiently reliable information about changes caused by aging and arteriosclerosis. The new ultrasonic method used appears to be suitable for this analysis.

Background and Purpose-Recently, we reported a common genetic variant, ring finger protein 213 (RNF213) c.14576G>Avariant, a susceptibility gene for moyamoya disease (MMD), among patients with intracranial major artery stenosis/ occlusion (ICASO) in a selected Japanese population. The aim of this 2-center-based case-control study was to confirm our previous finding in a larger population. S.).The online-only Data Supplement is available with this article at http://stroke.ahajournals.org/lookup/suppl

Oral administration of cilostazol is effective in preventing cerebral vasospasm with a low risk of severe adverse events. Clinical trial registration no. UMIN000004347, University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry.

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