Relation of carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity to aortic stiffness and total arterial compliance in healthy individuals.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity (c-f PWV) is commonly used to assess large artery stiffness, particularly as a surrogate of aortic stiffness. Given that c-f PWV represents the average stiffness of all main arteries along the carotid-to-femoral arterial pathway, without specifically accounting for the stiffness of the proximal aorta, we hypothesized that c-f PWV may not represent stricto sensu the stiffness of the ascending aorta (AAO), which is the main contributor to total arterial compliance ( CT ).

Methods

To test our hypothesis, we recruited 45 healthy volunteers from different age groups. We evaluated the relation between c-f PWV and different indices of proximal aorta stiffness calculated from distensibility (AAO dist PWV) and characteristic impedance

SUBMITTER: Celikbudak Orhon C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12672044 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature