Aortic stiffness in patients with cardiac syndrome X.
OBJECTIVE
Recently, the close relationship between aortic stiffness and cardiovascular mortality has aroused the interest of investigators in carrying out studies related to aortic stiffness. This study aims to investigate the aortic stiffness parameters in patients with cardiac syndrome X, a disorder that is believed to be a generalized disturbance of the vasodilator function of small arteries.


METHODS
18 patients with typical chest pain and angiographically normal coronary arteries associated with a positive exercise test were included in the study. The control group consisted of 27 patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries and no ischaemia on exercise testing. Antianginal medication was withheld 4 weeks before the study and transthoracic echocardiography was performed using a Hewlett-Packard Sonos 1500 instrument with a 2.5 MHz phased array transducer. Ascending aorta diameters were measured on the M-mode tracing at a level 3 cm above the aortic valve. Diameter change, pulse pressure, aortic strain and distensibility were measured as aortic stiffness parameters.


RESULTS
The aortic diameter change was less in the syndrome X group than in the control group (0.15 +/- 0.04 cm/m2 vs. 0.28 +/- 0.12 cm/m2, p < 0.001). Likewise, aortic strain (9 +/- 3% vs. 18 +/- 8%, p < 0.001) and distensibility (4.01 +/- 1.71 cm2 x dyn(-1) x 10(-3) vs. 9.95 +/- 5.08 cm2 x dyn(-1) x 10(-3), p < 0.001) was significantly lower in the syndrome X group than in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
The deterioration in aortic elasticity properties in patients with cardiac syndrome X suggests that this disease may be a more generalized disturbance of the vasculature.
Gorgulu
Sevket
S
Siyami Ersek Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Center, Cardiology Department, Istanbul, Turkey. sevket5@yahoo.com
Uslu
Nevzat
N
Eren
Mehmet
M
Celik
Seden
S
Yildirim
Aydin
A
Dagdeviren
Bahadir
B
Tezel
Tuna
T
D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017566:Microvascular Angina / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013599:Systole / Q000502:physiology; D014743:Videotape Recording
D015415:Biomarkers; D002784:Cholesterol