title: Volume of carotid bodies and cardiac autonomic function in patients with essential hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Determination of the relationship between the estimated total volume of the carotid bodies (VrCB+lCB), assessed by computed tomography angiography (CTA), and the autonomic cardiac function in patients with essential hypertension (EH).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 69 patients with diagnosed and pharmacologically treated EH. The estimated volume of each carotid body (CB) was evaluated on the basis of scans obtained in the CTA of carotid arteries, using the following formula: 4/3×π×half of transverse dimension of CB in axial projection×half of longitudinal dimension of CB in the axial projection×half of craniocaudal dimension of CB in the sagittal/coronal projection. Cardiac autonomic function was assessed using time domain analysis of heart rate variability (HRV).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean values of SDNNi, rMSSD and pNN50 at 24-h monitoring, during daily activity and during night rest, were significantly lower in patients with hypertension with the values of VrCB+lCB≥median compared to the group of hypertensive patients with the values of VrCB+lCB<median. Moreover, in patients with EH with the values of VrCB+lCB≥median, the mean values of SDNN were lower during daily activity. Based on the regression analysis, it was found out that the higher values of VrCB+lCB are an independent risk factor in HRV reduction (expressed as a reduction in the rMSSD).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with EH, a relationship between the volume of CB, assessed by CTA of carotid arteries, and autonomic cardiac function seems to be probable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, 4th Military Hospital, Weigla 5, Wroclaw PL 50-981, Poland. Electronic address: przemkolog@wp.pl.
authors.forename: Przemysław
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jaźwiec
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, 4th Military Hospital, Weigla 5, Wroclaw PL 50-981, Poland.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gać
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases and Hypertension, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, Wroclaw PL 50-556, Poland.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jurdziak
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Marcinkowskiego 1, Wroclaw PL 50-368, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poręba
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases and Hypertension, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, Wroclaw PL 50-556, Poland.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazur
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Marcinkowskiego 1, Wroclaw PL 50-368, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sobieszczańska
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases and Hypertension, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, Wroclaw PL 50-556, Poland.
authors.forename: Rafał
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Poręba
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D002344:Carotid Body / Q000473:pathology*; D000075222:Essential Hypertension; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017440:Photoperiod; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Autonomic cardiac function; Computed tomography angiography; Essential hypertension; Heart rate variability; Volume of the carotid bodies