Sonographic evaluation of arterial wall morphology and elasticity, and the evaluation of pulse wave velocity (PWV) are widely used noninvasive modalities for evaluating atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk assessment. Several studies suggest that intima-media thickness (IMT) and arterial elasticity indices may sensitively reflect different vasculopathic processes. Thus the purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between carotid IMT, distensibility and PWV.

We examined 14 consecutive patients (mean age 51±8 years, 8 males) with carotid ultrasound and noninvasive vascular screening device. Carotid IMT, carotid artery distensibility, and brachial-ankle PWV were measured.

The brachial-ankle PWV was inversely correlated with carotid distensibility (r= 0.628, p<0.05), but not correlated with IMT (r=0.099, p=0.738). And there was no relationship between IMT and carotid distensibility (r= 0.207, p=0.478).

Carotid distensibility had good correlation with brachial-ankle PWV, so it might be used for assessing arterial stiffness and evaluating cardiovascular risk.