One Step Back from Bedside to the Bench—How Do Different Arterial Stiffness Parameters Behave in Relation to Peripheral Resistance?

Abstract

The investigation of arterial stiffening is a promising approach to estimating cardiovascular risk. Despite the widespread use of different methods, the dynamic nature of measured and calculated stiffness parameters is marginally investigated. We aimed to determine the stability of large artery elasticity parameters assessed via commonly used, ultrasound-based and oscillometric methods in relation to peripheral resistance modulation. A human experimental environment was composed, and fifteen young males were investigated at rest after extremity heating and external compression. Functional vascular parameters were monitored in each session, and several arterial stiffness parameters were analysed. The distensibility coefficient (DC) did not show significant changes during heat provocation and extremity compression, while DC’s stability seemed to be acceptable. The same stability of carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) was detected with ultrasound measurement (5.43 ± 0.79, 5.32 ± 0.86 and 5.28 ± 0.77, with p = 0.38, p = 0.27 and p = 0.76, respectively) with excellent intersession variability (intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.90, 0.88 and 0.91, respectively). However, the oscillometric PWV (oPWV) did change significantly between the heating and outer compression phase of the study (7.46 ± 1.37, 7.10 ± 1.18 and 7.60 ± 1.21, with p = 0.05, p = 0.68 and p < 0.001, respectively), the alteration of which is closely related to wave reflection, represented by the changes in reflection time. Our results indicate the good stability of directly measured elastic parameters such as DC and PWV, despite the extreme modulation of peripheral resistance. However, the oscillometric, indirectly detected PWV might be altered by physical interventions, which depend on wave reflection. The effective modulation of wave reflection was characterized by changes in the augmentation index, detected using both oscillometry and applanation tonometry. Thus, the environment during oscillometric measurement should be rigorously standardized. Furthermore, our results suggest the dynamic nature of the reflection point, rather than being a fixed anatomical point, proposed previously as aortic bifurcation.