title: Cardio-ankle vascular index is independently associated with the severity of coronary atherosclerosis and left ventricular function in patients with ischemic heart disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) has been proposed as a new noninvasive marker of arterial stiffness independent of blood pressure. We investigated the association of the CAVI with coronary atherosclerosis and left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 206 consecutive subjects undergoing coronary angiography were enrolled. CAVI measurement and echocardiography were performed simultaneously. Patients having significant coronary stenosis were classified into the IHD group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CAVI in the IHD group (n=133) was significantly higher than in the non-IHD group(n=73)(9.1+/-1.3 vs. 8.7+/-1.2, p=0.02). In all IHD patients, CAVI was negatively correlated with LV ejection fraction (LVEF)(r=-0.31, p<0.01), LV mass index (r=0.24, p<0.01) and angiographic scores of coronary atherosclerosis. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that CAVI was independently associated with LVEF, along with a history of myocardial infarction, LV mass index, and left atrial diameter in all IHD patients (p<0.01). In the sub-analysis of IHD patients with preserved LVEF, CAVI was correlated with echocardiographic parameters regarding LV diastolic function. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the increased CAVI was significantly associated with LV diastolic dysfunction in patients with preserved LVEF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CAVI, a new parameter of aortic stiffness, was independently associated with LV systolic and diastolic function as well as coronary artery disease in IHD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan. miyoshit@cc.okayama-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirohata
authors.forename: Kosuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakane
authors.forename: Shigeshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamikawa
authors.forename: Tomoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitawaki
authors.forename: Youko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaji
authors.forename: Kengo Fukushima
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Kusano
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ninomiya
authors.forename: Shozo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kusachi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012306:Risk; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left