Sequential tonometry as a practical method to estimate truncal pulse wave velocity

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular physiology
• Arterial stiffness assessment
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a key indicator of arteriosclerosis.
• PWV measurement involves recording pressure or flow signals at two arterial sites.
• Comparing PWV values across different measurement techniques is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if different PWV measurement techniques yield comparable values.
• To compare sequential versus simultaneous PWV measurements.
• To evaluate tonometry and velocimetry methods for PWV assessment.

Main Methods:

• Aortic PWV measured in 101 patients using sequential applanation tonometry and Doppler velocimetry.
• Simultaneous measurements performed using 2 tonometers (50 subjects) or 2 Doppler probes (23 subjects).
• Comparison of PWV values derived from sequential and simultaneous approaches for both techniques.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in PWV between sequential and simultaneous tonometry (p=0.09).
• No significant difference in PWV between sequential and simultaneous velocimetry (p=0.35).
• Sequential tonometry yielded significantly higher PWV than sequential velocimetry (p < 0.001), with strong correlation (r=0.83).

Conclusions:

• Sequential applanation tonometry is a practical and cost-effective method for PWV measurement.
• Caution is advised when interpreting PWV values obtained from different methodologies.
• Applanation tonometry may result in higher PWV values compared to Doppler velocimetry.