Relationship between arterial stiffness and subclinical aortic atherosclerosis.
BACKGROUND
Noninvasive measures of arterial compliance may be useful for the detection of subclinical atherosclerosis.


RESULTS
Measures of calf and thigh arterial compliance (MaxV50) were recorded in 267 subjects who also underwent MRI of the distal aorta to quantify distal aorta atherosclerosis. The average of calf and thigh MaxV50 was strongly predictive of extent of aortic atherosclerosis and risk of being in the top quartile of aortic atherosclerosis after adjustment for the Framingham Coronary Risk Score (FCRS) or the combination of the FCRS and C-reactive protein (P<0.0001). The areas under the receiver operating curves predicting the top quartile of gender-specific aortic atherosclerosis were 0.57, 0.60, and 0.75 for models containing the FCRS, the FCRS and C-reactive protein, and the FCRS, C-reactive protein, and the average of calf and thigh MaxV50.


CONCLUSIONS
Lower-extremity arterial compliance may identify subjects with extensive subclinical atherosclerosis. Further studies examining the potential value of arterial stiffness as a screening tool to guide initiation of more aggressive preventive interventions are warranted.
Herrington
David M
DM
Department of Internal Medicine/Cardiology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. dherring@wfubmc.edu
Brown
W Virgil
WV
Mosca
Lori
L
Davis
Warren
W
Eggleston
Barry
B
Hundley
W Gregory
WG
Raines
Jeffrey
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000473:pathology; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D003187:Compliance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010991:Plethysmography; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D014655:Vascular Resistance