Correlation of ultrasound-measured common carotid artery stiffness with pathological findings.

Abstract

To quantitatively and noninvasively evaluate common carotid atherosclerosis in a series of patients, we measured the stiffness parameter p, which represents the mechanical properties of the vessel. /3 was calculated from the relationship between blood pressure and the diameter of the artery as measured by an ultrasonic, phase-locked, echotracking system. Increases in the severity grade of atherosclerosis as subsequently determined at autopsy were correlated with increased Rvalues in 60 common carotid arteries (r=.68).C ommon carotid atherosclerosis has been reported to precede cerebral atherosclerosis.1 -2 Therefore, evaluating the severity of sclerosis in the common carotid artery may prove to be a useful prognosticator for the development of cerebrovascular sclerosis in asymptomatic individuals. Early detection of this condition can help to reduce the risk of cerebrovascular accident. Atherosclerosis causes structural changes in artery walls that alter their physical properties. The stiffness parameter /3 proposed by Hayashi et al 3 is one quantitative index of the elastic properties of large arteries. /3 can be calculated from the measurements of blood pressure and arterial diameter. Although advances in ultrasound technique have made it possible to visualize common carotid arteries, their quantitative measurement has only recently been developed. Nakayama and Sato 4 have designed an ultrasonic measuring method of arterial wall movement that uses a phase-tracking system. Moreover, Yoshimura et al 5 have developed an ultrasonic Doppler flow meter with this system that allows transcutaneous measurement of the arterial diameter and its pulsatile change. We calculated f3 from the measurements of blood pressure, arterial diameter, and its pulsatile change. A few clinical studies have included measurements of /3, 67 but no previous study has compared clinical studies with pathological findings.The aim of this study was to define the relationship between fi of the common carotid artery and the severity grade of atherosclerosis on the basis of postmortem pathological analysis. These findings may serve as reference data for noninvasively diagnosing atherosclerosis.Received August 17,1993; revision accepted December 9,1993. From the Departments of Preventive Medicine (T.W.) and Internal Medicine IV (K.K., K.F., K.I., E.T., T.F., T.U., and S.Y.), The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.Correspondence to Takashi Wada, MD, Department of Preventive Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 25-8 Nishi-shinbashi 3-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105, Japan.Patients with f) values greater than 13 had a pathological diagnosis of atherosclerosis in the common carotid artery. The sensitivity of this discrimination ratio was 80%, and the specificity was 80% as well. Thus, /3 shows promise as a useful diagnostic indicator for detecting asymptomatic common carotid atherosclerosis. (Arteriosder Thromb. 1994;14:479-482 MethodsHayashi et al 3 analyzed the behavior of arterial walls by assessing changes in vess...

Influence of Leptin on Arterial Distensibility

“…22 Obese humans have increased leptin production per unit of fat mass 13 and consequently disproportionately elevated leptin concentrations. 14 We measured arterial distensibility, which is known to correlate closely with atherosclerotic risk factors 4 -7,10 -12 (even from a young age 7,25 ), extent of disease, 8,9 and cardiovascular risk. 34 The association of arterial distensibility with leptin was independent of fat mass and metabolic and inflammatory markers.…”

“…Recently, obesity has been associated with lower arterial distensibility, 4 -7 a measure of the elastic properties of the vessel wall, and an index of circulatory function relevant to the atherosclerotic process. 8,9 Furthermore, weight loss has been shown to improve arterial stiffness. 4,10,11 It is not clear, however, whether obesity has a direct influence on arterial distensibility or whether its adverse effects are mediated by risk factors associated with obesity, such as insulin resistance 6,12 or inflammation.…”

Increased arterial stiffness in obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review

“…Furthermore, a strong correlation between arterial stiffness and the development of atherosclerosis at various sites in the arteries has been noted. 35,36 Therefore, measuring arterial stiffness can be an important clinical tool for the monitoring of disease progression and treatment efficacy, as recommended by the European Network for Non-invasive Investigation of Large Arteries 25 and the 2007 European guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension. 26 The use of arterial stiffness measurements may be particularly useful in assessing the endothelial damage induced by certain cardiovascular risk factors, such as OSA.…”

“…33 A strong correlation between arterial stiffness and the development of atherosclerosis at various sites in the arterial tree has been noted. [34][35][36] In fact, a recent study showed that arterial stiffness is an early marker of atherosclerosis, as it is affected to a greater extent when compared with intima-media thickness in patients with vascular disease. 37 This result is in line with another study, which showed that arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of vascular health and coronary artery disease above and beyond intima-media thickness.…”

TGF-β1 polymorphisms and arterial stiffness; the Rotterdam Study

“…Increased arterial stiffness is also associated with hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), end-stage renal disease and atherosclerosis. [1][2][3][4][5][6] Recently, it has also been shown to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. [7][8][9] The extent of the increase in stiffness may depend on various factors; it is likely that genetic variations play a role.…”