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Updated: Apr 14, 2026
Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
A prospective observational study comparing a non-operator dependent automatic PWV analyser to pulse pressure, in
Igor Salvadé1, Sibylle Schätti-Stählin2, Eleonora Violetti3
1Division of Nephrology, Ospedale la Carità, Via Ospedale 1, 6600, Locarno, Switzerland. igor.salvade@chuv.ch.
Insights
Mobil-O-Graph brachial artery pulse wave velocity (PWV) better detects vascular aging in dialysis patients than pulse pressure. This simple method correlates with mortality and identifies specific chronic kidney disease risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) accelerates vascular stiffening, a key factor in cardiovascular disease risk.
- Arterial stiffness is assessed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) or pulse pressure (PP).
- The Mobil-O-Graph device offers a non-operator-dependent method to estimate brachial artery PWV (MogPWV).
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if MogPWV is a more sensitive indicator of vascular aging in dialysis patients compared to PP.
- To compare vascular aging markers between dialysis patients and a control group with preserved kidney function.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 143 dialysis patients was monitored for MogPWV and PP every 3-6 months.
- A control group with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) > 30 ml/min and similar risk factors was included for comparison.
- Patient outcomes, including mortality, were analyzed in relation to MogPWV and PP measurements.
Main Results:
- MogPWV, unlike PP, effectively distinguished dialysis patients from the control group, indicating an 8.4-year age difference in vascular aging.
- The rate of MogPWV increase with age was significantly higher in the dialysis group.
- High parathormone (PTH) levels and dialysis for hypertensive nephropathy were associated with higher baseline MogPWV; mortality rates were similar between MogPWV outliers and inliers.
Conclusions:
- Brachial artery PWV assessment using the Mobil-O-Graph is a valid and simple alternative for evaluating vascular aging in dialysis patients.
- MogPWV is more sensitive to vascular aging in this population than PP.
- PWV correlates with mortality, and high PTH is linked to increased baseline PWV in CKD patients.
Background:
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) accelerates vascular stiffening related to age. Arterial stiffness may be evaluated measuring the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) or more simply, as recommended by KDOQI, monitoring pulse pressure (PP). Both correlate to survival and incidence of cardiovascular disease. PWV can also be estimated on the brachial artery using a Mobil-O-Graph; a non-operator dependent automatic device. The aim was to analyse whether, in a dialysis population, PWV obtained by Mobil-O-Graph (MogPWV) is more sensitive for vascular aging than PP.
Methods:
A cohort of 143 patients from 4 dialysis units has been followed measuring MogPWV and PP every 3 to 6 months and compared to a control group with the same risk factors but an eGFR > 30 ml/min.
Results:
MogPWV contrarily to PP did discriminate the dialysis population from the control group. The mean difference translated in age between the two populations was 8.4 years. The increase in MogPWV, as a function of age, was more rapid in the dialysis group. 13.3% of the dialysis patients but only 3.0% of the control group were outliers for MogPWV. The mortality rate (16 out of 143) was similar in outliers and inliers (7.4 and 8.0%/year). Stratifying patients according to MogPWV, a significant difference in survival was seen. A high parathormone (PTH) and to be dialysed for a hypertensive nephropathy were associated to a higher baseline MogPWV.
Conclusions:
Assessing PWV on the brachial artery using a Mobil-O-Graph is a valid and simple alternative, which, in the dialysis population, is more sensitive for vascular aging than PP. As demonstrated in previous studies PWV correlates to mortality. Among specific CKD risk factors only PTH is associated with a higher baseline PWV.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02327962.
