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Implantation of a Carotid Cuff for Triggering Shear-stress Induced Atherosclerosis in Mice
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Association between wall shear stress and carotid atherosclerosis in patients with never treated essential

Min-Yi Lee1, Chan-Ming Wu, Kuo-Ho Yu

  • 1Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal United Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

American Journal of Hypertension
|May 2, 2009
PubMed

Insights

In untreated hypertensive patients, low wall shear stress (WSS) in the common carotid artery is linked to higher carotid atherosclerotic indexes, specifically resistive index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI). This suggests WSS influences vascular resistance and pulsatility, potentially driving atherosclerosis progression.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Research
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Wall shear stress (WSS) is crucial for regulating vessel diameter and is implicated in vascular remodeling and atherosclerosis.
  • Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), resistive index (RI), and pulsatility index (PI) are established indicators of carotid atherosclerosis severity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the association between hemodynamic parameters in the common carotid artery (CCA) and the extent of carotid atherosclerosis in individuals with untreated hypertension.

Main Methods:

  • Duplex ultrasound was utilized to assess 64 untreated hypertensive patients and 16 normotensive controls.
  • Key parameters measured included CCA internal diameter, flow velocity, peak and mean WSS, RI, PI, and IMT.

Main Results:

  • Hypertensive subjects exhibited significantly lower peak and mean WSS compared to normotensive controls.
  • Carotid RI and PI showed an inverse correlation with mean WSS in hypertensive individuals.
  • Mean WSS was identified as an independent determinant of RI and PI, even after adjusting for age, IMT, and hsCRP.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated carotid atherosclerotic indexes (RI and PI) are associated with reduced WSS in the CCA among hypertensive patients.
  • These findings highlight a connection between local shear stress and altered vascular pulsatility and resistance.
  • Changes in local vascular dynamics driven by WSS may represent a key mechanism in the advancement of atherosclerosis.
Abstract

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