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Updated: May 2, 2026
Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
Large artery stiffness and carotid flow pulsatility in stroke survivors
Peter Wohlfahrt1, Alena Krajcoviechova, Marie Jozifova
1aCenter for Cardiovascular Prevention of the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague bInternational Clinical Research Center, St Ann's University Hospital, Brno cDepartment of Preventive Cardiology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague d2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Charles University, Center for Hypertension, Pilsen, Czech Republic eDepartment of Pharmacology, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, INSERM U970 and Paris University Descartes, Paris, France fDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Insights
Increased aortic stiffness is linked to lacunar stroke. This stiffening may increase pressure and flow pulsatility in cerebral arterioles, contributing to lacunar stroke development.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Neurology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Aortic stiffness is elevated in patients with lacunar stroke.
- The exact mechanisms connecting aortic stiffness to symptomatic lacunar stroke remain unclear.
- Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between aortic stiffness, carotid stiffness, central blood pressure, and cerebrovascular resistance.
- To determine their impact on carotid flow pulsatility across different stroke subtypes.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated 174 patients post-ischemic stroke, classified by subtype.
- Measured aortic stiffness using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV).
- Assessed central blood pressure and carotid flow pulsatility (resistive index).
Main Results:
- Lacunar stroke patients exhibited significantly higher aortic PWV, central systolic blood pressure, and resistive index compared to other stroke types.
- Aortic stiffness and central pulse pressure were identified as key determinants of resistive index, irrespective of stroke subtype.
Conclusions:
- Aortic stiffening may contribute to lacunar stroke pathogenesis.
- Reduced aortic buffering capacity increases pressure and flow pulsatility transmission to cerebral arterioles.
- This mechanism highlights a potential pathway linking vascular aging to lacunar stroke.
Objective:
Aortic stiffness is increased in lacunar stroke. The precise mechanism linking aortic stiffness to symptomatic lacunar stroke is not well understood. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of aortic stiffness, carotid stiffness, central blood pressure, and cerebrovascular resistance on carotid flow pulsatility according to stroke subtype.
Methods:
Two hundred and one consecutive patients were examined 13 months after hospitalization for their first-ever ischemic stroke. The stroke subtype was classified using the Causative Classification of Stroke System. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) was used as a measure of aortic stiffness. Common carotid flow pulsatility was expressed as resistive index. Central blood pressure was measured using applanation tonometry.
Results:
Complete data were available for 174 patients (mean age… 67 ± 10 years, 64% men). In patients with lacunar stroke, aortic PWV was higher (13.11 ± 2.74 m/s) than in individuals with large artery atherosclerosis (9.98 ± 1.87 m/s, P <0.001), cardioembolic (11.31 ± 3.18 m/s, P = 0.04) or cryptogenic stroke (11.13 ± 3.2 m/s, P = 0.01). Similarly, central SBP and resistive index were higher in patients with lacunar stroke (145 ± 23 mmHg and 0.80 ± 0.04, respectively) than those with large artery atherosclerosis (128 ± 18 mmHg, P <0.01 and 0.74 ± 0.07, P <0.01, respectively) or cryptogenic stroke (132 ± 18 mmHg, P <0.01 and 0.76 ± 0.07, P <0.05, respectively). In multivariate analysis, aortic stiffness and central pulse pressure were the main determinants of resistive index independent of stroke subtype.
Conclusion:
Our results suggest that aortic stiffening, by reducing the buffering function of the aorta and thereby increasing the transmission of pressure and flow pulsatility into the cerebral arterioles, may contribute to the pathogenesis of lacunar stroke.
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