Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 2, 2026
Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
Pulmonary artery stiffness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema: The Multi-Ethnic Study of
Chia-Ying Liu1,2, Megha Parikh3, David A Bluemke1,2
1Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Purpose:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and particularly emphysema are characterized by stiffness of the aorta, due in part to accelerated elastin degradation in the lungs and aorta. Stiffness of the pulmonary arteries (PAs) may also be increased in COPD and emphysema, but data are lacking. We assessed PA stiffness using MRI in patients with COPD and related these measurements to COPD severity and percent emphysema.
Materials And Methods:
The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) COPD Study recruited 290 participants, age 50-79 years with 10 or more packyears and free of clinical cardiovascular disease. COPD severity were defined on postbronchodilator spirometry by ATS/ERS criteria. Percent emphysema was defined as the percentage of regions of the lung < -950 Hounsfield units on full-lung computed tomography (CT). PA stain was defined by the percent change in cross-sectional PA area between systole and diastole on MRI. Blood flow across the tricuspid and mitral valves was assessed by phase-contrast MRI for determination of the ventricular diastolic dysfunction (E/A ratio).
Results:
PA strain was reduced in COPD compared with controls (P = 0.002) and was inversely correlated with COPD severity (P = 0.004). PA strain was inversely associated to percent emphysema (P = 0.01). PA strain was also markedly correlated with right ventricular diastolic dysfunction measured by E/A ratios in the fully adjusted mix models (P = 0.02).
Conclusion:
PA strain is reduced in COPD, related in part to percent emphysema on CT scan, which may have implications for pulmonary small vessel flow and right ventricular function.
Level Of Evidence:
2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:262-271.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-IV: Assessement and Diagnostic Studies
Medical History
01:24Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Smoking is a primary risk factor for COPD, with over 80% of patients having a history of it. Patients typically experience progressive dyspnea or labored breathing, frequent coughing, and recurrent pulmonary infections. Many eventually succumb to respiratory failure, characterized by...
01:20Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-II: Pathophysiology
Chronic Inflammation
01:25Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-III: Symptoms and Complications.
Symptoms of COPD can be classified as primary or systemic. Primary symptoms relate to reduced airflow, while systemic or extrapulmonary symptoms relate to COPD's broader impact on the body.
Primary Symptoms of COPD:
01:20Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-I: Introduction
01:30Peripheral Artery Disease I: Introduction