J Korean Surg Soc.  2010 Dec;79(6):481-485. 10.4174/jkss.2010.79.6.481.

Comparison of the Risk Factors for Arterial Stiffness between Extremity Muscular and Abdominal Elastic Arteries

• Park JK
• Kim KW
• Park JI
• Oh SJ
• Suh BJ
• Oh SH
• Jun SY

• KMID: 2096605
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4174/jkss.2010.79.6.481

Abstract

PURPOSE
Muscular artery differs from elastic artery in physical properties and constituents of the arterial wall. To investigate the difference between muscular and elastic arteries, we measured the pulse wave velocities (PWVs) in lower extremity muscular arteries (femoral ankle PWV, faPWV) and abdominal elastic arteries (brachial femoral PWV, bfPWV), and searched for the relationships between the PWVs of muscular, elastic arteries and the risk factors of arteriosclerosis.
METHODS
184 normal volunteers were enrolled in the study. Among them, the ratios of male/female, smoker/non-smoker, and hypertension/normal were 81/103, 66/118, and 63/121, respectively. Using volume plethysmography, faPWV and bfPWV were measured. The risk factors of arteriosclerosis in this study were age, gender, smoking, hypertension, body mass index, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, triglyceride, hemoglobin A1C, and white blood cell.
RESULTS
The PWVs of lower extremity muscular arteries (faPWVs) were significantly faster than those of abdominal elastic arteries (bfPWVs) (right, P<0.001; left, P<0.001) Multiple regression analysis revealed that the independent risk factors of the PWV were age (right, P<0.001; left, P<0.001) and gender (right, P=0.008; left, p=0.014) in abdominal elastic arteries. However, in lower extremity muscular arteries, hypertension (right, P<0.001; left, P<0.001) as well as age (right, P<0.001; left, P<0.001) and gender (right, P=0.009; left, P=0.001) were other significant independent risk factors.
CONCLUSION
The PWVs of lower extremity muscular arteries were significantly faster than those of abdominal elastic arteries. The significance of hypertension in faPWV suggests that hypertension is an important risk factor in inducing arterial stiffness, especially in lower extremity muscular arteries.

Keyword

Muscular artery; Elastic artery; Pulse wave velocity; Hypertension

MeSH Terms

Animals
Ankle
Arteries
Arteriosclerosis
Body Mass Index
Extremities
Hemoglobins
Humans
Hypertension
Lipoproteins
Lower Extremity
Plethysmography
Pulse Wave Analysis
Risk Factors
Smoke
Smoking
Vascular Stiffness
Hemoglobins
Lipoproteins
Smoke

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Measurement of brachial femoral pulse wave velocity (bfPWV) and femoral ankle pulse wave velocity (faPWV). Lb is the distance between the upper portion of sternum and the sensor of right upper arm cuff. Lf is the distance between the upper portion of sternum and the sensors of right and left upper thigh cuffs. La is the distance between the sensors of right and left upper thigh cuffs and the sensors of right and left ankle cuffs. T0 is the moment of the first appearance of the pulse wave from heart at the sensor of right upper arm cuff. Femoral transit time (ΔTf) is the time spent for the pulse wave to pass the distance equivalent to the difference of Lf and Lb. Ankle transit time (ΔTa) is the time spent for the pulse wave to pass the distance of La. Formulae are bfPWV=[(Lf-Lb)/(ΔTf)]×1,000 (cm/sec) and faPWV=[La/(ΔTa-ΔTf)]×1,000 (cm/sec).

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