title: Flow-mediated dilatation, using time course data, shows maturation of the brachial artery from young children to mid-adolescents.
abstract: Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) is a tool widely used to measure arterial responsiveness to sheer stress. However, there is scant literature to show how the peripheral arterial response changes as the vascular system matures. One reason for this is that the feasibility of measuring FMD in younger children has not been established. The aim of the present study was to assess brachial artery function at rest and during the FMD response after 4 min ischaemia of the forearm in children aged 6-15 years. Time to reach maximum FMD (FMDmax ) was found to be correlated with age (r = 0.4, P < 0.05), resting brachial artery diameter (r = 0.4, P < 0.05), height (r = 0.4, P < 0.05), body mass index (BMI; r = 0.45, P < 0.05), body surface area (r = 0.44, P < 0.05) and resting blood flow (r = 0.37, P < 0.05). However, there was no correlation between the traditional FMD response at 60 s or FMD maximal dilation and age, resting brachial artery diameter, height, weight, BMI, body surface area and resting blood flow. In conclusion, the time taken to reach the maximal dilation response is related to age, brachial artery luminal diameter and body habitus, but not the traditional measure of FMD response at 60 s or the maximal dilatation percentage.
authors.affiliation: Robinson Institute, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kontos
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pamula
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gent
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lushington
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baumert
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Willoughby
authors.forename: Malcolm
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Couper
authors.forename: Declan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001775:Blood Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014664:Vasodilation
keywords: blood flow; brachial artery; children; flow-mediated dilatation