Normal paediatric values of arterial stiffness parameters measured by echo-tracking

Background: Increase in arterial stiffness (AS) has recently been recognized as a predictor of cardiovascular disease development. Aim of this study was to provide the normal range of some ultrasonographic AS indices evaluated in a paediatric population with an Echo-tracking system that accurately measures changes in arterial diameter synchronized with the ECG signal. Method We studied 130 healthy children, aged 3-16 years, free from cardiovascular risk factors. Echo-tracking was performed with an !10 Aloka echocardiographic machine and a linear 8 Mhz probe. The right and left common carotid arteries were approached: the common carotid bulb was identified, and the segment of the artery 2 cm proximal to the bulb region was scanned. A time related pressure-diameter curve of the artery was then obtained; calibration for the blood pressure permitted measurement of arterial stiffness for any given blood pressure. The following parameters were calculated: 1) Stiffness index (") ; 2) Pulse wave velocity (PWV") ; 3) Elastic modulus (Ep) ; 4) Arterial compliance (AC) . In addition, carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured. Results ", PWV" and Ep undergo a statistically significant (p <0.001) progressive age-related increase, while AC shows only a weak (p< 0.05) correlation with age. In contrast, no

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