title: Reproducibility of different methods to measure the endothelial function.
abstract: This study compares the reliability and reproducibility of flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) to assess endothelial function. Eighteen volunteers with coronary heart disease underwent simultaneous testing of FMD by means of brachial artery ultrasound scanning and PAT with the EndoPAT 2000. The subjects underwent both tests twice with an interval of 30 minutes and the same protocol was repeated 2 days later. The within-day variability was lower for the FMD measurements than for the PAT measurements (10% versus 18%; p < 0.05). The between-day variability was similar (11%). A significant correlation was found between PAT and FMD (r = 0.57, p < 0.001). The typical errors of measurements for FMD were lower than those for PAT. In conclusion, in this study, FMD demonstrated the best reliability for the within- and between-day and separate day measurements when compared to PAT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Onkelinx
authors.forename: Veronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cornelissen
authors.forename: Kaatje
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goetschalckx
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Thomaes
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Verhamme
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vanhees
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001530:Belgium; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003935:Diagnostic Techniques, Cardiovascular; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005385:Fingers / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D006940:Hyperemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018617:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed; D014664:Vasodilation