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Published on: December 2, 2014

Relationship between aortic stiffness and the development of coronary collateral in patients with coronary artery

Sükrü Celik1, Sahin Kaplan, Remzi Yilmaz

  • 1KTU Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Trabzon, Turkey. scelik@meds.ktu.edu.tr

Angiology
|October 24, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Aortic stiffness, a predictor of cardiovascular mortality, was assessed in relation to coronary collateral development. This study found no significant difference in aortic elastic properties between patients with poor or good collateral vessels.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Vascular Biology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Large artery stiffness is a key predictor of cardiovascular mortality.
  • Aortic stiffness influences coronary artery perfusion and shear stress, potentially affecting collateral formation.
  • Coronary collateral vessels play a crucial role in supplying blood to ischemic heart muscle.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between aortic stiffness and the development of coronary collateral vessels in patients with significant coronary artery disease.
  • To determine if measures of aortic elastic properties differ between patients with poor versus good coronary collateral supply.

Main Methods:

  • 106 patients with severe coronary artery stenosis (≥90%) were analyzed.
  • Coronary collateral vessels were assessed using Rentrop grading (0-3) via angiography.
  • Aortic stiffness was evaluated using aortic distensibility and stiffness indexes derived from echocardiography and sphygmomanometry.

Main Results:

  • Patients were categorized into groups with poor (Rentrop grade 0-1) and good (Rentrop grade 2-3) collateral vessels.
  • No significant differences were observed in aortic distensibility index (5.1 ±2.3 vs 5.7 ±3.3, p=0.31) between the groups.
  • Similarly, no significant differences were found in the aortic stiffness index (4.02 ±2.3 vs 4.43 ±3.7, p=0.49) between patients with poor and good collateral vessels.

Conclusions:

  • Aortic elastic properties do not appear to be a significant determinant of coronary collateral formation in patients with severe coronary artery disease.
  • Coronary collateral development is likely a complex process influenced by multiple factors beyond aortic stiffness.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the multifaceted mechanisms underlying coronary collateralization.

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