ARTERIAL STIFFNESS ASSESSMENT BY SHEAR WAVE ELASTOGRAPHY AND ULTRAFAST PULSE WAVE IMAGING: COMPARISON WITH REFERENCE TECHNIQUES IN NORMOTENSIVES AND HYPERTENSIVES

Shear wave elastography and ultrafast imaging of the carotid artery pulse wave were performed in 27 normotensive participants and 29 age- and sex-matched patients with essential hypertension, and compared with reference techniques: carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) determined via arterial tonometry and carotid stiffness (carPWV) determined via echotracking. Shear wave speed in the carotid anterior (a -SWS) and posterior (p-SWS) walls were assessed throughout the cardiac cycle. Ultrafast PWV was measured in early systole (ufPWV-FW) and in end-systole (dicrotic notch, ufPWV-DN). Shear wave speed in the carotid anterior appeared to be the best candidate to evaluate arterial stiffness from ultrafast imaging. In univariate analysis, a-SWS was associated with carPWV (r = 0.56, p = 0.003) and carotid-to-femoral PWV (r = 0.66, p < 0.001). In multi-variate analysis, a-SWS was independently associated with age (R-2 = 0.14, p = 0.02) and blood pressure (R-2 = 0.21, p= 0.004). Moreover, a-SWS increased with blood pressure throughout the cardiac cycle and did not differ between normotensive participants and patients with essential hypertension when compared at similar blood pressures. (C) 2018 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. All rights reserved.