title: The Brachial Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity is Associated with the Presence of Significant Coronary Artery Disease but Not the Extent.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Arterial stiffness is well known as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. At our institution, we assessed the association between arterial stiffness, as determined by brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD), as detected by conventional coronary angiography (CAG) in patients who visited the outpatient clinic for angina without any previous history of heart disease. In addition, we evaluated if the level of baPWV could predict the revascularization as a clinical outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  On a retrospective basis, we analyzed the data of 651 consecutive patients who had undergone baPWV and elective CAG for suspected CAD between June 2010 and July 2011, at a single cardiovascular center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The baPWV was one of the statistically meaningful predictors of significant CAD (diameter of stenosis >50%) in addition to male gender, age, the level of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and hemoglobin A1c in multivariate analysis. However, baPWV was not the significant predictor of revascularization. When the extent of CAD was classified into following 4 groups; no significant CAD, 1-, 2- and 3-vessel disease, there was significant difference of baPWV between the significant and non-significant CAD group, but there was no difference of baPWV among the 3 significant CAD groups, although there was a trend toward the positive correlation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although baPWV was an independent predictor of significant CAD, it was neither associated significantly with the extent of CAD nor with the risk of revascularization. Therefore, baPWV has a limited value for portending the severity of CAD in patients with chest pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Sejong General Hospital, Bucheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Myung-Joon
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.forename: In-Hyun
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Duck-Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Soo-Yeon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joo-Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Hyun
authors.forename: Jae-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Dae-Sung
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Dal-Soo
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Sook-Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Arterial stiffness; Atherosclerosis; Coronary artery disease