Association between invasively measured central aortic pulse pressure and diameter of ascending aorta

Abstract

Abstract No study has investigated the relationship between arterial stiffness and aortic root geometry using invasive hemodynamic measurement. Thus, this study was aimed to assess the relationship between invasively measured aortic pulse pressure (aPP), a reliable indicator of aortic stiffness, and the diameter of ascending aorta (AoD). We analyzed 665 subjects (64.3 ± 11.0 years; 34.6% female) who underwent elective invasive coronary angiography (ICA) for the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD). Transthoracic echocardiography was performed on the same day, and AoD was measured at the level of 1 cm above the sinotubular junction at the end-diastole. Body surface area (BSA)-adjusted AD (AoD/BSA) was used for the analysis. A pig-tail catheter was used to measure aortic pressures at a level approximately 3 cm above the aortic valve just before ICA. aPP was calculated as the difference between systolic and diastolic pressures of the aorta. In multiple linear regression analyses, aPP (β = 0.259; P < 0.001) were found to be significantly correlated with AoD/BSA even after controlling for potential confounders. This correlation power was stronger than aortic systolic pressure (β = 0.189; P < 0.001) and brachial pulse pressure (β = 0.091; P = 0.018) at the same multivariable analyses. In conclusion, our study demonstrated a significant association between invasively measured aPP and AoD/BSA, providing stronger evidence for the link between central aortic stiffness and aortic root geometry.