| Summary: | The recognized reference method for endothelial function assessment is brachial artery diameter echo-tracking during flow mediated dilation (FMD) induced by reactive hyperaemia (RH). From the Mons-Korteweg equation, FMD should also reduce upper limb pulse wave velocity (PWV). The aim of our study was to compare echo-tracking FMD with PWV changes after RH.
Brachial diameter was assessed by echo-tracking (MyLAb 70, Easote, Italy) before and after 7 min of ischemia induced by inflating a cuff on the right wirst 50mmHg above subject’s systolic blood pressure. Carotid-left radial and carotid-right radial PWVs were also simultaneously measured with Complior Analyse (Alam Medical, France) at baseline (in triplicate), 30sec, 1, 3 and 5 min end of ischemia.
Measurements were performed in 15 healthy subjects (10M/5F, 31±11 yrs). Maximum PWV changes happened 1min after cuff deflation in the ischemic arm (ΔPWV=2,1±1,4m/s, p<0,001) while changes in the control arm were non-significant.
Time after deflation
ΔPWV ischemic arm
ΔPWV control arm
30sec
−0,6 ± 0,6
−0,2 ± 1,0
1min
−2,1 ± 1,4 *
−0,1 ± 1,1
3min
−1,9 ± 1,4 *
−0,1 ± 1,2
5min
−1,7 ± 1,3
−0,7 ± 2,5
*p<0,001
The maximal change in arterial diameter post-RH was 5,1±4,7%. There was no correlation between diameter change and ΔPWV (R=0,03, p=0,91).
While the use carotid-radial PWV seems promising to track changes post RH, further studies are needed to better understand this phenomena which is not related to diameter change.
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