Relationship Between Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI) and the Severity of Coronary Artery Lesions: A Case-Control Study

The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is an important metric for evaluating arterial stiffness (AS). In this study, we used cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) to predict CAD severity of coronary artery lesions. This case-control study was conducted between October 2019 and December 2022. There were 222 patients divided into two groups: those with chronic coronary artery disease (CAD group), with 160 patients and a control group (non-CAD group) with 62 patients. The CAVI measurement and severity of coronary artery lesion parameters were evaluated (severity of stenosis, number of coronary artery diseases, syntax scores, and Gensini scores). The CAVI in the CAD group (9.21 ± 0.79) was significantly higher than that in the non-CAD group (8.48 ± 0.62) (p < 0.001). CAVI, with a cut-off point ≥8.83, was a significant predictor of chronic CAD (OR = 9.6; 95% CI: 4.0-18.8) with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.796 (95% CI: 0.736-0.856; p < 0.001). CAVI was significantly higher in severe stenosis (≥75%) compared to moderate stenosis (9.41 ± 0.81 vs 9.02 ± 0.75, p = 0.002). CAVI was higher in multivessel disease compared to single-vessel disease (9.43 ± 0.80 vs 8.90 ± 0.70, p < 0.001). CAVI increased with higher SYNTAX scores (mild, moderate, and severe: 9.09 ± 0.65, 9.80 ± 1.05, and 9.45 ± 0.46, respectively; p < 0.001) and Gensini scores (mild, moderate, and severe: 8.90 ± 0.65, 9.37 ± 0.95, and 9.43 ± 0.59, respectively; p < 0.001). CAVI is higher in chronic CAD and can predict chronic CAD with a cut-off point of ≥8.83. The CAVI is higher in patients with severe stenosis, multivessel coronary artery disease, higher syntax scores, and higher Gensini scores.