Additional Value of Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity to Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease

Aortic stiffness: an age-related prognostic marker?

Aortic stiffness, a consequence of vascular aging, is an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, the impact of age and sex on its predictive performance remains unclear. We have included 6046 individuals from the population-based Rotterdam study. Survival analyses were performed to investigate the impact of age and sex on the link between aortic stiffness and outcomes, including coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. The added predictive value of aortic stiffness across age categories and by sex was assessed by using explained variation, Harrell's C index and Integrated Discrimination Improvement (IDI). Aortic stiffness was independently associated with all outcomes [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval; CI): 1.16 (1.04-1.22) for CHD, 1.09 (1.00-1.19) for stroke, 1.11 (1.05-1.18) for CVD, 1.14 (1.05-1.23) for cardiovascular mortality, 1.08 (1.03-1.13) for all-cause mortality]. The strength of the association between aortic stiffness and stroke, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality decreased significantly by advancing age. The variance of the outcome (R2) explained by aortic stiffness alone was noticeable in individuals younger than 60 years and negligible in the other age categories. The association of aortic stiffness and CHD was stronger in women than in men. Similarly, the difference in R2 between women and men was greater for CHD than for the other considered outcomes. Our findings suggest that the gain in explained variation caused by aortic stiffness for CVD and mortality might be limited to individuals younger than 60 years.

Improved Prognostic Value in Predicting Long-Term Cardiovascular Events by a Combination of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity

Background: Both C-reactive protein (CRP) and arterial stiffness are associated with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study was performed to investigate whether a combination of these two measurements could improve cardiovascular risk stratification. Methods: A total of 6572 consecutive subjects (mean age, 60.8 ± 11.8 years; female, 44.2%) who underwent both high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) and brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) measurement within 1 week were retrospectively analyzed. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including cardiovascular death, acute myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, and stroke were assessed during the clinical follow-up. Results: During a mean follow-up period of 3.75 years (interquartile range, 1.78–5.31 years), there were 182 cases of MACE (2.8%). The elevated baPWV (≥1505 cm/s) (hazard ratio (HR), 4.21; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.73–6.48; p < 0.001) and hs-CRP (≥3 mg/L) (HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.12–2.21; p < 0.001) levels were associated with MACE even after controlling for potential confounders. The combination of baPWV and hs-CRP further stratified the subjects’ risk (subjects with low baPWV and hs-CRP vs. subjects with high baPWV and hs-CRP; HR, 7.08; 95% CI, 3.76−13.30; p < 0.001). Adding baPWV information to clinical factors and hs-CRP had an incremental prognostic value (global Chi-square score, from 126 to 167, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The combination of hs-CRP and baPWV provided a better prediction of future CVD than either one by itself. Taking these two simple measurements simultaneously is clinically useful in cardiovascular risk stratification.

The comparison of the impact of arterial stiffness and central pressure on left ventricular geometry and diastolic function

Background

This study was performed to compare the associations of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and central blood pressure (CBP) measurements with left ventricular (LV) geometry and diastolic function.

Methods

A total of 77 subjects (64.5 ± 10.8 years, 67.5% females) without documented cardiovascular disease were prospectively recruited. All subjects underwent transthoracic echocardiography, baPWV and noninvasive measurement of CBP on the same day.

Results

In simple linear correlation analyses, neither baPWV nor CBP was associated with LV mass index or relative wall thickness (P > 0.05 for each). Although baPWV significantly correlated with septal e´ velocity in simple linear correlation analyses (r = 0.258, P = 0.025), the significance was lost after controlling for potential confounder (P = 0.881). In simple linear correlation analyses, central systolic blood pressure (CSBP) and central pulse pressure (CPP) significantly correlated with both septal e´ velocity or E/e´ (P <  0.05 for each); however, neither central diastolic nor mean arterial pressures was associated with both septal e´ velocity and E/e´ (P > 0.05 for each). After controlling for confounders, including age, sex and body mass index, CSBP correlated with septal e´ velocity (β = − 0.258, P = 0.025), but not with E/e´ (P = 0.074). CPP correlated with both septal e´ velocity (β = − 0.300, P = 0.014) and E/e´ (β = 0.428, P = 0.002) in the same multivariable model.

Conclusions

In subjects without documented cardiovascular disease, CSBP and CPP may be more strongly associated with LV diastolic function than baPWV. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm our results.

Pulse Wave Velocity in Atherosclerosis

Early detection of subclinical atherosclerosis is important to reduce patients' cardiovascular risk. However, current diagnostic strategy focusing on traditional risk factors or using risk scoring is not satisfactory. Non-invasive imaging tools also have limitations such as cost, time, radiation hazard, renal toxicity, and requirement for specialized techniques or instruments. There is a close interaction between arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis. Increased luminal pressure and shear stress by arterial stiffening causes endothelial dysfunction, accelerates the formation of atheroma, and stimulates excessive collagen production and deposition in the arterial wall, leading to the progression of atherosclerosis. Pulse wave velocity (PWV), the most widely used measure of arterial stiffness, has emerged as a useful tool for the diagnosis and risk stratification of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The measurement of PWV is simple, non-invasive, and reproducible. There have been many clinical studies and meta-analyses showing the association between PWV and coronary/cerebral/carotid atherosclerosis. More importantly, longitudinal studies have shown that PWV is a significant risk factor for future CVD independent of well-known cardiovascular risk factors. The measurement of PWV may be a useful tool to select subjects at high risk of developing subclinical atherosclerosis or CVD especially in mass screening.

Pulse Wave Velocity in Atherosclerosis

Early detection of subclinical atherosclerosis is important to reduce patients' cardiovascular risk. However, current diagnostic strategy focusing on traditional risk factors or using risk scoring is not satisfactory. Non-invasive imaging tools also have limitations such as cost, time, radiation hazard, renal toxicity, and requirement for specialized techniques or instruments. There is a close interaction between arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis. Increased luminal pressure and shear stress by arterial stiffening causes endothelial dysfunction, accelerates the formation of atheroma, and stimulates excessive collagen production and deposition in the arterial wall, leading to the progression of atherosclerosis. Pulse wave velocity (PWV), the most widely used measure of arterial stiffness, has emerged as a useful tool for the diagnosis and risk stratification of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The measurement of PWV is simple, non-invasive, and reproducible. There have been many clinical studies and meta-analyses showing the association between PWV and coronary/cerebral/carotid atherosclerosis. More importantly, longitudinal studies have shown that PWV is a significant risk factor for future CVD independent of well-known cardiovascular risk factors. The measurement of PWV may be a useful tool to select subjects at high risk of developing subclinical atherosclerosis or CVD especially in mass screening.

Data on the clinical usefulness of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity in patients with suspected coronary artery disease

Brachial-artery pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is a simple and reliable tool for measurement of arterial stiffness. Our previous studies suggested that baPWV is associated with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the risk of cardiovascular events. In the present data article, we provided supplementary data supporting the independent prognostic value of arterial stiffness, assessed by baPWV, in patients with suspected CAD (Hwang et al., 2017) [1]. The data was obtained from 523 patients undergoing coronary CT angiography (CCTA), and baPWV was measured at the time of CCTA. Patients with vulnerable coronary plaque or obstructive CAD on CCTA had higher age, more cardiovascular risk factors, and higher baPWV values. Given the significant association between high baPWV and the presence of vulnerable plaque or obstructive CAD as shown in this data article, the prognostic value of baPWV was further assessed in subgroups divided according to the CCTA findings (vulnerable plaque or obstructive CAD). In each subgroup by CCTA findings, multivariable Cox proportional hazard model analysis showed that high baPWV was an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events even after adjusting for clinical risk factors.