Arterial Segmental Vasoconstriction in Hypercholesterolaemic Patients

Abstract

Regular, wave-like constriction in medium-sized arteries, arterial segmental vasoconstriction (ASV), has been observed at arteriography and described by many authors. We found ASV in arteriograms of the superficial femoral artery in 13 of 107 hypercholesterolaemic patients, enrolled in the Probucol Quantitative Regression Swedish Trial (PQRST). The arteriograms were digitized and studied with a quantitative computer-assisted technique. The frequency of ASV was higher than has been reported earlier in clinical materials, possibly because of an increased vasoreactivity in hypercholesterolaemia, as recently observed experimentally. The ASV patients were, on average, younger, had lower blood pressure and less atherosclerosis, than the non-ASV patients. ASV was not found in any of the 19 patients in the material who either had symptoms of peripheral vascular disease or arteriographically verified arterial occlusions. No significant correlations with smoking habits or serum cholesterol levels were found. A computer-based index of ASV and measurement of ASV wavelength are discussed.