This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) and coronary atherosclerosis. We measured PWV in 105 subjects (84 males and 21 females; age 59 +/- 0.5) who received coronary angiographic examination (CAG). PWV was measured by simultaneous recording of pulse waves from the left carotid and the left femoral arteries, electrocardiogram and phonocardiogram. The subjects were classified into 4 groups according to the number of major coronary arteries having stenosis, that is, N group with normal CAG, 1 vessel disease (VD) group, 2VD group and 3VD group. The PWV value was significantly greater only in 3VD group (n = 10, age 63 +/- 3.6, PWV 10.0 +/- 0.88 m/sec) than that in N group (n = 18, age 53 +/- 2.0, PWV 8.0 +/- 0.34 m/sec). No significant difference was observed between PWV value in N group and that in all patients with coronary artery stenosis (n = 87, age 60 +/- 2.0, PWV 8.9 +/- 0.2 m/sec). To further investigate the relationship between PWV values and CAG findings, we used a CAG score which means the sum of the points assigned to each coronary artery segment (American Heart Association) according to the severity of stenosis (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 for normal, less than 49% stenosis, 50 to 74% stenosis, 75 to 99% stenosis, and complete occlusion, respectively). The PWV values significantly correlated with the CAG score and also with age by a simple regression analysis. Multivariate analysis, however, revealed that PWV values did no longer correlate with CAG score. PWV values still significantly correlated with age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)