Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
Heart-Thigh Cuff Pulse Wave Velocity: A Novel Nontechnical Measure of Arterial Stiffness
Brandon G Fico1, Drew D Gourley1, Savannah V Wooten1
1Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Background:
Recently, a novel index of arterial stiffness was developed to eliminate the placements of transducers on the carotid and femoral arteries and to make the measurement substantially easier. We evaluated the agreement of this new methodology with the well-established carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV).
Methods:
A total of 50 adults (28 men and 22 women) varying widely in age and blood pressure were studied. Heart-thigh pulse wave velocity (htPWV) and cfPWV were measured and compared.
Results:
Mean values of cfPWV and htPWV were 713 ± 145 and 699 ± 150 cm/s and were not significantly different (P = 0.43). Both cfPWV and htPWV were significantly associated with age (r = 0.80 and 0.58), body mass index (r = 0.44 and 0.31), and systolic blood pressure (r = 0.42 and 0.41). The 2 pulse wave velocity measures demonstrated a strong linear association with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.64 (P < 0.001). This agreement was consistent with the results of the Bland-Altman plot.
Conclusion:
The automatic htPWV method, which permits the data acquisition with minimum technical skill, time, and intrusion in an operator-independent fashion, has good potential as a screening device for assessing arterial stiffness in a clinical setting.
Related Concept Videos
Velocity and Acceleration of a Wave
The velocity of the particles can be obtained by taking the partial derivative of the position equation with respect to time....
Muscles that Move the Thigh
Three other significant muscles are the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. The gluteus maximus originates from the posterior surface of the ilium, sacrum, and coccyx, and the thoracolumbar...
Special considerations while measuring pulse
The Wave Nature of Light
Pulse
The pulse serves as a clinical...
Pulse
Pulse Rate and its Significance
Pulse rate, often measured in beats per minute (bpm), reflects the heart rate (HR), which is influenced by numerous factors such as stress, physical activity, and hormonal changes. A normal resting adult pulse rate falls...

