title: Brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation in patients with cardiac syndrome X.
abstract: Cardiac syndrome X (CSX) differs from coronary artery disease (CAD) and is characterized by angina, positive stress test, and patent coronary arteries. The probable mechanism is a microvascular disorder associated with endothelial dysfunction. In this study, brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation was used as well as the endothelin-1 assay to assess endothelial function in patients with cardiac syndrome X (CSX), coronary artery disease (CAD), and healthy controls. All subjects underwent a 2-step brachial artery flow-related vasodilatation test. Serum endothelin-1, one of the most potent constricting factors, was measured for all participants. Patients with CSX had a lower brachial artery dilation ratio than controls but higher than that of CAD patients. Control subjects and CSX patients had higher endothelin-1 levels than CAD patients. CSX patients were found to have worse endothelial function than healthy volunteers, but patients with CAD had even worse endothelium function than CSX patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chung-Li City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ai-Hsien
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Bai-Chin
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kuo-Chin
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ching-Sung
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Shu-Hsun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000097:blood; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017566:Microvascular Angina / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019332:Endothelin-1