title: [Vascular function tests to assess risk for cardiovascular diseases].
abstract: Ultrasound examination, computed tomography, and/or magnetic resonance imaging can be employed to easily assess the severity of atherosclerotic vascular damage morphologically. On the contrary, the pulse wave velocity (PWV), pulse wave analysis (augmentation index: AI), and/or flow-mediated vasodilatation of the brachial artery(FMD) can reveal atherosclerotic functional vascular abnormalities. Recent meta analyses demonstrated that PWV and/or AI are markers which can be used to predict future cardiovascular events independent of conventional risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In this review, we discuss the applicability and limitations of vascular function tests.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan. tomiyama@tokyo-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tomiyama
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamashina
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology*; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology*; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors