Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Nov 2016
Comparative StudyEchocardiographic Assessment of Aortic Pulse-Wave Velocity: Validation against Invasive Pressure Measurements.
Aortic pulse-wave velocity (PWV) is a measure of aortic stiffness that has a prognostic role in various diseases and in the general population. A number of methods are used to measure PWV, including Doppler ultrasound. Although echocardiography has been used for PWV measurement, to the authors' knowledge, it has never been tested against an invasive reference method at the same time point. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare prospectively an echocardiographic PWV measurement, called echo-PWV, with an invasive study. ⋯ Echo-PWV, based on Doppler echocardiography, is a reliable method of aortic PWV measurement, with a close correlation with invasive assessment. Wider implementation of the echo-PWV method for the evaluation of aortic wall stiffness can further expand the clinical and scientific utility of echocardiography.