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Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
[Central pulse pressure but not brachial blood pressure is the predominant factor affecting aortic arterial
Wen-Kai Xiao1, Ping Ye, Yong-Yi Bai
1Second Department of Cardiology, Southern Building Clinic Division, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100853, China.E-mail: xiaowk301@sina.com.
Insights
Central pulse pressure (PP) is a better indicator of arterial stiffness and vascular aging than other blood pressure measures in both hypertensive and normotensive individuals. These findings suggest central PP could be a future treatment target.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Hypertension Research
- Vascular Aging
Background:
- Hypertension is associated with increased arterial stiffness and vascular damage.
- Central blood pressure measurements offer insights into cardiovascular hemodynamics.
- Understanding differences in hemodynamic indices between hypertensive and normotensive individuals is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare central hemodynamic indices in hypertensive versus normotensive subjects.
- To identify blood pressure indices most strongly correlated with arterial stiffness and vascular damage markers.
- To evaluate the role of central pulse pressure in vascular aging.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 1640 subjects (820 hypertensive, 820 normotensive) matched for age and gender.
- Measurement of carotid-femoral and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (PWV) and aortic augmentation index (AIx).
- Assessment of plasma homocysteine (HCY), hsCRP, and NT-proBNP levels.
Main Results:
- Central systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were lower than brachial values, with lower PP amplification in normotensives.
- Hypertensive subjects exhibited higher carotid-femoral PWV and AIx compared to normotensives.
- Central pulse pressure demonstrated the strongest correlation with arterial stiffness and vascular damage markers.
Conclusions:
- Central pulse pressure is a more direct indicator of central arterial stiffness and vascular aging than other blood pressure variables.
- Findings support the potential of central blood pressure as a therapeutic target in future hypertension trials.
- Central PP influences arterial stiffness markers like PWV and AIx more than mean or brachial PP.
Objective:
To investigate the differences in central hemodynamic indices between hypertensive and normotensive subjects and identify the blood pressure index that the most strongly correlate with arterial stiffness and vascular damage markers.
Methods:
A cohort of 820 hypertensive patients and 820 normotensive individuals matched for age and gender were enrolled in this study. We measured carotid-femoral and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (PWV), aortic augmentation index (AIx) and central blood pressures using pulse wave analysis and applanation tonometry. Plasma homocysteine (HCY), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were also tested in these subjects.
Results:
In both hypertensive and normotensive subjects, the central systolic blood pressure (SBP) and pulse pressure (PP) were significantly lower than brachial SBP and PP; this PP amplification was significantly lower in the normotensives (9.85∓6.55 mmHg) than in the hypertensives (12.64∓6.69 mmHg), but the amplification ratios were comparable between the two groups. Blood pressure and age were closely related with aortic arterial stiffness. Compared with normotensive subjects, hypertensive subjects had higher carotid-femoral PWV and AIx, and showed significantly lowered PP amplification ratio with age. Central PP was more strongly related to arterial stiffness and vascular damage markers than the other pressure indices. Multivariate analyses revealed that carotid-femoral PWV and aortic AIx were strongly influenced by central PP but not by the mean blood pressure or brachial PP.
Conclusion:
The central PP is a more direct indicator of central arterial stiffness and a better marker of vascular aging than other blood pressure variables. These findings support the use of central blood pressure as a treatment target in future trials.
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