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Updated: Jul 12, 2026
05:51
Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (Cf-PWV) to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
[Arterial stiffness in pediatric hypertension]
Cristina Gavrilovici1, O Brumariu, A G Dimitriu
1Universitatea de Medicină şi Farmacie Gr. T. Popa, Iaşi, Facultatea de Medicină, Spitalul Clinic de Urgenţe pentru Copii Sf. Maria, Clinica de Nefrologie Pediatrică.
Summary
Uremia in children significantly increases arterial stiffness and peripheral artery reflectivity, indicating vascular injury. Chronic dialysis does not improve these markers in pediatric patients, unlike in adults.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Cardiovascular Health
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Non-invasive assessment of large artery structure and function aids in early detection of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk.
- Vascular injury markers include increased arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity--PWV), peripheral artery reflectivity (Aix), and carotid intima-media thickness (clMT).
- Limited data exist on uremia's impact on vascular structure and function in children compared to adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of arterial compliance determinants in children.
- To present recent data on hypertension and renal failure repercussions on pediatric vascular health.
- To investigate arterial stiffness, peripheral artery reflectivity, and carotid intima-media thickness in children undergoing chronic dialysis.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study was conducted on 18 children undergoing chronic dialysis (hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis).
- Assessment included pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (Aix), and carotid intima-media thickness (clMT).
- Dialysis patients were compared with a control group.
Main Results:
- Dialyzed children exhibited significantly higher PWV and Aix compared to controls, confirming uremia-associated arterial stiffness in this age group.
- No significant differences in IMT and PWV were observed between hemodialyzed and peritoneal dialyzed children.
- Unlike in adults, hemodialysis sessions did not show a favorable impact on PWV and Aix in pediatric patients.
Conclusions:
- Uremia is associated with increased arterial stiffness and altered vascular function in children.
- Chronic dialysis treatment in children does not appear to improve arterial stiffness or vascular reflectivity.
- Further research is needed to understand and mitigate vascular complications in pediatric renal failure.
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