Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index Could Reflect Plaque Burden in the Coronary Artery

Abstract

Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) using the volume plethysmographic method is a noninvasive atherosclerotic indicator which is not influenced by blood pressure. Coronary intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a reliable technique to measure progression of atherosclerosis. The association between CAVI and IVUS has not been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between CAVI and the plaque burden measured by IVUS in the left main coronary artery (LMCA) in patients with coronary heart disease and normal LMCA. Cardio-ankle vascular index was significantly correlated with percentage plaque area (r = .649, P < .0001) measured by IVUS in the most diseased segment of LMCA. Cardio-ankle vascular index remained significant among cardiovascular disease risk factors included in the multiple regression analysis predicting percentage plaque area. Cardio-ankle vascular index was a good atherosclerotic indicator and associated with the plaque burden in nonculprit and angiographically normal LMCA.

Relation of Epicardial Fat Thickness and Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index to Complexity of Coronary Artery Disease in Nondiabetic Patients

“…CAVI reflects the stiffness of all arterial segments, and the femoral and tibial artery as a whole. In recent studies, it has been reported to be associated with the severity of atherosclerosis [13,22]. In this study, we determined a relationship between CAVI and the complexity of CAD assessed by SS in nondiabetic patients.…”

Age-Associated Increase in Arterial Stiffness Measured According to the Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index without Blood Pressure Changes in Healthy Adults

“…Indeed, early results show easy measurement 18) with good reproducibility 31) and risk predictability 4) . The CAVI has been reported to be related to hypertension 6) , diabetes mellitus 7) , hyperlipidemia 8) , smoking 9) and epicardial adipose tissue 10) and consistently shows a good correlation with components of atherosclerotic disease, such as coronary artery disease 7,11,32) , the cardiac function 12,13) , cerebrovascular disease 14,15,33) , the cognitive function 16) and kidney disease 17) . Recent studies have reported that the CAVI is decreased by controlling hypertension 6) and diabetes mellitus 34) and abstaining from smoking 35) .…”

Epicardial Fat Reflects Arterial Stiffness: Assessment Using 256-Slice Multidetector Coronary Computed Tomography and Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index

“…CAVI is an index of atherosclerosis, which is independent of blood pressure and has been validated in various populations [23][24][25] . CAVI has consistently shown a good correlation with known cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerotic disease, such as coronary artery disease, carotid arteriosclerosis and cerebrovascular disease.…”