Comparison of sequentially measured Aloka echo-tracking one-point pulse wave velocity with SphygmoCor carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity

Abstract

Objectives:Recently, echo-tracking-derived measures of arterial stiffness have been introduced in clinical practice for the assessment of one-point pulse wave velocity. The purpose of this study was to find a relation between carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity and one-point carotid pulse wave velocity, and to find a value of one-point carotid pulse wave velocity that predicts carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity higher than 12 m/s.Methods:A total of 160 consecutive subjects (112 male/48 female, mean age = 51.5 ± 14.1 years; 96 healthy, 44 hypertensives, 13 with aortic valve disease, and 7 with left ventricular dysfunction) were studied. Carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity was measured with the SphygmoCor system and one-point carotid pulse wave velocity with high-definition echo-tracking system (ProSound Alpha10; Aloka, Tokyo, Japan).Results:Both carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity and one-point carotid pulse wave velocity correlated significantly with each other (r = 0.539, p < 0.001) and with age (one-point carotid pulse wave velocity r = 0.618, carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity r = 0.617, p < 0.0001 for both). Median value of carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (7.2 m/s, 95% confidence interval = 6.2–8.9) was systematically higher than that of one-point carotid pulse wave velocity (5.8 m/s, 95% confidence interval = 5–6.6). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.85, identifying the cutoff for one-point pulse wave velocity of 6.65 m/s as the best predictor of carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity more than 12 m/s (sensitivity = 0.818, specificity = 0.819).Conclusions:One-point carotid pulse wave velocity correlates with carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity, and the cutoff of 6.65 m/s was the best predictor of carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity over 12 m/s.

Interplay between arterial stiffness and diastolic function

“…20 Arterial stiffness and diastolic function Zito et al Recently, we demonstrated that 'one-point' PWV, measured at the carotid level using echo-tracking technique, is well correlated with traditional carotid-femoral PWV and that a cutoff of 6.65 m/s identifies individuals with carotid-femoral PWV higher than 12 m/s with good sensitivity and specificity. 17 Accordingly, patients with normal diastolic function in the present study showed a mean 'one-point' PWV of 6 m/s, significantly lower than that of patients with grade I diastolic dysfunction, who had a mean 'one-point' PWV of 8 m/s. Other studies provided similar results.…”

“…As such, we did not compare the echo-tracking method with established tools of proven prognostic relevance, such as carotid-femoral PWV or reflection magnitude; however, in a recent study we demonstrated a good correlation (r ¼ 0.617, P < 0.0001) between PWV by the Aloka echotracking system and carotid-femoral PWV by Sphygmo-Cor XCEL (AtCor Medical Inc., West Ryde, Australia). 17 The various stiffness parameters that were calculated all are related to vascular distensibility and reflect different aspects of the same phenomenon. Obviously, there is an important collinearity.…”

“…17 In addition, arterial compliance (AC), pressure-strain elasticity modulus (Ep) and augmentation index (AI) were obtained. Arterial compliance (index of blood vessel compliance) was directly calculated as an index of local arterial compliance from changes in blood vessel crosssectional area and blood pressure according to the formula: AC ¼ p(Ds  Ds -Dd  Dd)/[4 (Ps -Pd)].…”

Left Ventricular Function Assessed by One-Point Carotid Wave Intensity in Newly Diagnosed Untreated Hypertensive Patients

“…Reproducibility and variability of WI indexes have been proven to be clinically acceptable . Inter‐ and intraobserver variability was evaluated in 15 randomly selected subjects in one center (San Daniele del Friuli, Udine, Italy).…”

Echotrecking Is a Novel Technology to Assess Structural and Functional Properties of Carotid Arteries (Review)

“…However, increasingly more researchers give preference to the local rigidity study of carotid arteries using this program that is due to both: the simplicity and the accuracy of the technique, and also a close anatomical position of carotid arteries to aorta, and their surface position and accessibility [42][43][44][45][46].…”