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Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Ultrasound Assessment of Endothelial-Dependent Flow-Mediated Vasodilation of the Brachial Artery in Clinical Research
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Ultrasound Assessment of Endothelial-Dependent Flow-Mediated Vasodilation of the Brachial Artery in Clinical Research

Published on: October 22, 2014

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Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation is less repeatable in children with a chronic inflammatory disease compared to

Madelyn M Byra1, Nicole A Proudfoot1,2, Katharine D Currie1,3

  • 1Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging
|March 13, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is less repeatable in children with chronic inflammatory disease (CID). This vascular function measure may present challenges for tracking cardiovascular health changes over time in pediatric populations with CID.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric cardiovascular health
  • Vascular function assessment
  • Chronic inflammatory diseases

Background:

  • Children with chronic inflammatory diseases (CID) face higher cardiovascular disease risks.
  • Impaired flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is observed in these children compared to healthy peers.
  • Repeatability of FMD, a key vascular function measure, is established in healthy individuals but underexplored in pediatric CID.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the repeatability of brachial artery FMD measurements.
  • To compare FMD repeatability between children with CID and healthy children.

Main Methods:

  • Two FMD assessments were conducted on participants with CID (n=52) and healthy controls (n=21).
  • Repeatability was analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficients of variation (CVs).
  • Measurements included brachial artery diameter (BLD), absolute FMD, and relative FMD.

Main Results:

  • Brachial artery diameter (BLD) showed good repeatability in both groups (CV < 2.0%, ICC > 0.90).
  • Relative FMD was repeatable in healthy controls (CV: 10.0 ± 5.8%, ICC: 0.86).
  • Relative FMD repeatability was poor in children with CID (CV: 18.8 ± 16.3%, ICC: 0.52).

Conclusions:

  • Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) exhibits lower repeatability in children with chronic inflammatory diseases.
  • The high coefficient of variation for relative FMD in this group suggests potential challenges in reliably monitoring vascular function changes over time.
  • Measurement error may impact the clinical utility of FMD for tracking cardiovascular health in pediatric CID patients.
Abstract

Keywords:
cardiovascular healthendothelial functioninflammationpaediatrics

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