Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 30, 2026

Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
05:51

Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness

Published on: May 3, 2018

18.8K

Common Carotid Artery Stiffness Is Associated with Left Ventricular Structure and Function and Predicts First

Shih-Hsien Sung1, Jo-Nan Liao2, Wen-Chung Yu2

  • 1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC ; Cardiovascular Research Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC ; Institute of Public Health and Community Medicine Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.

Pulse (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 21, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Common carotid artery stiffness, a marker of proximal aortic stiffness, is linked to heart structure and function. This stiffness, unlike carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, predicts acute heart failure development in at-risk patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Clinical Research

Background:

  • Proximal aortic stiffness is implicated in heart failure pathogenesis.
  • Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) is a common measure of arterial stiffness.
  • Common carotid artery (CCA) stiffness may serve as a surrogate for proximal aortic stiffness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between CCA stiffness and left ventricular (LV) structure and function.
  • To determine if CCA stiffness predicts the development of acute heart failure (AHF).
  • To compare the predictive value of CCA stiffness with cf-PWV for AHF.

Main Methods:

  • 114 outpatients without prior heart failure underwent cardiovascular assessments.
  • Echocardiography measured LV mass index, LV ejection fraction (EF), and E/E'.
  • Carotid ultrasonography assessed CCA mechanical properties (Einc, β stiffness index, CD, CS); cf-PWV was measured by tonometry.

Main Results:

  • CCA distensibility (CD) correlated with LV mass index.
  • All CCA stiffness indices were associated with LV EF and E/E', independent of age, blood pressure, and cf-PWV.
  • CCA stiffness indices (Einc, CS, β stiffness index) significantly predicted AHF events, whereas cf-PWV did not.

Conclusions:

  • CCA stiffness is significantly associated with LV structure and function in patients at risk for heart failure, independent of cf-PWV.
  • CCA stiffness, not cf-PWV, serves as a significant predictor of first acute heart failure events.
Abstract

Keywords:
Acute heart failureArterial stiffnessCommon carotid arteryLeft ventricular functionSpeckle tracking

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