Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2017 April, 241(4)

Non-Invasive Assessment of Early Atherosclerosis Based on New Arterial Stiffness Indices Measured with an Upper-Arm Oscillometric Device

YAPING ZHANG,¹ PING YIN,¹ ZUOJUN XU,¹ YUSHUI XIE,¹ CHANGQIAN WANG,¹ YUQI FAN,¹ FUYOU LIANG² and ZHAOFANG YIN¹

¹Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
²Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Chiba University International Cooperative Research Center, School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

The clinical significance of detecting early atherosclerosis is now widely recognized. Measurement methods available at present are usually not suitable for use in primary care where rapid screening for a large population is needed. The Arterial Velocity-pulse Index (AVI) and Arterial Pressure-volume Index (API) are new noninvasive arterial stiffness indices that can be rapidly measured using an oscillometric device. The purpose of this study was to determine whether high AVI and API values are predictive of early atherosclerosis prior to the onset of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). A total of 183 patients were enrolled and allocated to the CAD group (n = 109), early atherosclerosis (AS) group (n = 34) or an apparently healthy (non-AS) group (n = 40) based on the results of angiographic examinations. Measurements for arterial blood pressure, AVI, API and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were collected. Statistical analyses revealed that AVIs were significantly lower in the non-AS group than in the AS group and the CAD group. The inter-group differences in API were not statistically significant among the 3 patient groups. As a reference, baPWV was found to be statistically higher in the CAD group than in the non-AS group, whereas there was no significant difference between the CAD group and the AS group, or between the AS group and the non-AS group. The AVI and API were both significantly correlated with baPWV. This study demonstrated that AVI was more sensitive than baPWV and API in indicating early atherosclerosis, although elevated AVI and baPWV were both predictive of CAD.

keywords —— arterial stiffness index; atherosclerosis; coronary artery disease; noninvasive measurement; oscillometric method

© 2017 Tohoku University Medical Press

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Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2017, 241, 263-270

Correspondence: Zhaofang Yin, M.D., Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.639 Zhizaoju Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai 200011, China.

e-mail: hhxxapple@mail.sjtu.edu.cn