title: Evaluation of arterial stiffness after successful renal transplantation using brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular disease remains a main cause of mortality in renal transplant recipients. Determination of aortic stiffness with pulse wave velocity (PWV) is considered a strong predictor of cardiovascular risk. We investigated arterial stiffness with brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) after successful renal transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 197 patients (mean age = 53.2 ± 10.8 years) who underwent successful renal transplantation. baPWV was evaluated with a noninvasive automatic Omron Colin device. During follow-up (mean = 183.8 ± 108.9 months), we investigated parameters of sex, age, body mass index, duration before (dialysis) and after transplantation, and cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension and diabetes). In all subjects, fasting concentrations of serum creatinine, non-(HDL) high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (total cholesterol minus HDL-cholesterol), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and triglyceride were also compared with those at enrollment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean baPWV levels were 1519 ± 329 cm/s in our renal transplant recipients. baPWV increased independent of age, duration of dialysis before transplantation, and cardiovascular risk factors. Serum creatinine and dilation did not show any significant correlations to baPWV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In renal transplant recipients, baPWV may be more influenced by past clinical history before transplantation than by current condition. Noninvasive assessment of arterial stiffness with baPWV may be a useful and convenient indicator of cardiovascular disease after renal transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Hyogo Prefectural Hospital, Hyogo, Japan. hirai0904@hp.pref.hyogo.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okuno
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Souda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yonemoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ymanaka
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kishikawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000842:Ankle / Q000098:blood supply*; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011674:Pulse