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A Methodological Approach to Non-invasive Assessments of Vascular Function and Morphology
Published on: February 7, 2015
Effect of smoking on common carotid artery wall elasticity evaluated by echo tracking technique
Pu Zhang1, Ruijun Guo1, Zhian Li2
1Department of Ultrasonography, ChaoYang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Insights
Echo tracking effectively assesses common carotid artery elasticity changes in smokers. It reveals how hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia worsen arterial stiffness in this group.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Medical Imaging
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Smoking significantly impacts cardiovascular health, particularly affecting arterial elasticity.
- Comorbidities like hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia can exacerbate smoking-related vascular damage.
- Non-invasive methods are crucial for evaluating arterial wall properties in at-risk populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of echo tracking in assessing common carotid artery (CCA) wall elasticity in smokers.
- To investigate the influence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia on CCA wall elasticity in smokers.
Main Methods:
- Subjects were categorized into healthy controls, simple smokers, and smokers with complications (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia).
- Ultrasound was used for intima-media thickness (IMT) measurements.
- Echo tracking quantified parameters including wall stiffness index (β), pressure-strain elasticity modulus (Ep), arterial compliance, augmentation index, and pulse wave velocity (PWVβ).
- CCA lumen diameters (Ds, Dd) and pressures (Ps, Pd) were also measured.
Main Results:
- Statistically significant differences in β, Ep, and PWVβ were observed across the three groups (p < 0.05).
- Augmentation index was significantly higher in smokers with complications (Group B2) compared to simple smokers (Group B1) and controls (Group A) (p < 0.05).
- While IMT and arterial compliance showed no significant differences, CCA lumen diameters (Ds, Dd) differed significantly among groups (p < 0.05).
- Blood pressures (Ps, Pd) showed significant differences between simple smokers and those with complications (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Echo tracking is a viable quantitative method for evaluating smoking-induced changes in CCA wall elasticity.
- Complications such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia significantly worsen arterial elasticity in smokers.
- These findings highlight the importance of managing comorbidities in smokers to mitigate cardiovascular risk.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to examine the applicability of echo tracking to evaluation of common carotid artery wall elasticity in smokers and the effects of hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia on common carotid artery wall elasticity in smokers. Subjects were divided into three groups based on smoking status and presence of complications: group A (healthy control group), group B1 (simple smoking group) and group B2 (smoking with complications group). Complications included one or several symptoms of hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia. Intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery was measured with ultrasound, and wall stiffness index(β), pressure-strain elasticity modulus (Ep), arterial compliance, augmentation index and local pulse wave velocity (PWVβ) were measured with echo tracking. We also determined the systolic (Ds) and diastolic (Dd) lumen diameters of the common carotid artery and systolic (Ps) and diastolic (Pd) pressures. The differences in β, Ep and PWVβ among the three groups in this study were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Augmentation index was increased in group B2 compared with groups B1 and A, with the differences being statistically significant (p < 0.05). Differences in augmentation index between groups B1 and A, differences in arterial compliance among the three groups and differences in intima-media thickness among the three groups were not statistically significant (p > 0.05), but differences in Ds and Dd among the three groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Differences in Ps and Pd between groups A and B1 were not statistically significant (p > 0.05), whereas those between groups B1 and B2 were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Echo tracking can be used to quantitatively evaluate the effect of smoking on common carotid artery wall elasticity and the effects of hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia on common carotid artery wall elasticity in smokers.
