Arterial Stiffness Index and Coronary Artery Plaques in Patients with Subclinical Coronary Atherosclerosis.
BACKGROUND
Arterial stiffness is a physiologic quantitative value used to measure arterial compliance. It is predictive of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with intermediate to high cardiovascular risk. However, a correlation between arterial stiffness and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis has yet to be established. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate arterial stiffness using an arterial stiffness index (ASI) and investigate its association with coronary artery plaque in patients with subclinical coronary atherosclerosis.


METHODS
Our study enrolled 156 consecutive subjects who underwent health screening using a 64-slice cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Their arterial stiffness index was assessed noninvasively by CardioVision(®) MS-2000. The atheroma on the coronary vessel walls was analyzed.


RESULTS
Of the 156 patients, 53 displayed at least one > 50% stenotic lesion over the coronary arteries in CCTA images. The patients with at least one > 50% coronary stenotic plaque were older and had higher systolic blood pressure and ASI values than patients without > 50% coronary stenotic plaque. After dividing the study population into 2 groups by those patients over and under 50 years of age, the ASI positively correlated with the presentation of at least one > 50% coronary stenotic plaque in patients aged ≥ 50 years (odds ratio = 1.02, 95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.04, p = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
The ASI could play a role in risk stratification systems for coronary artery disease in patients with subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, and is a useful clinical marker for the correlation of early coronary plaque.


BACKGROUND
Arterial stiffness; Arterial stiffness index; Atherosclerosis; Coronary artery plaque.
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine;
Yung-Ta
YT
Kao
Health Management Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital;
Sen-Te
ST
Wang
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine; ; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University;
Chun-Ming
CM
Shih
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine; ; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University;
Feng-Yen
FY
Lin
Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery;
Nai-Wen
NW
Tsao
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine;
Kuang-Hsing
KH
Chiang
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine;
Chao-Shun
CS
Chan
Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital;
Yen-Chung
YC
Lin
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University;
Ming-Yow
MY
Hung
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University; ; Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University;
Ming-Hsiung
MH
Hsieh
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital; ; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University;
Kuo-Gi
KG
Shyu
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan;
Jaw-Wen
JW
Chen
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine; ; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University;
Nen-Chung
NC
Chang
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University; ; Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University; ; Skirball Center for Cardiovascular Research, Cardiovascular Research Foundation, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
Jong-Shiuan
JS
Yeh
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine; ; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University;
Chun-Yao
CY
Huang