Pulse Wave Velocity Involving Proximal Portions of the Aorta Correlates with the Degree of Aortic Dilatation at the Sinuses of Valsalva in Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between arterial stiffness measured in different aortic segments and the presence and extent of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA). METHODS: Patients at a Thoracic Aortic Diseases clinic at a University teaching hospital were compared to patients attending a Cardiology outpatient Clinic at the same institution. A non-invasive measure of vascular stiffness was performed using pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurement of several vascular segments-carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), heart-femoral pulse wave velocity (hfPWV) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Aortic dimensions were measured on echocardiogram. RESULTS: Patients with ATAA (N = 32) were 66 years and the same age as those without ATAA (N = 46). There was no significant difference between those with or without aortic aneurysm with respect to cfPWV, hfPWV or baPWV. In ATAA, there was a significant (p <0.05) inverse correlation between aortic diameter at the sinuses of Valsalva and cfPWV, as well as hfPWV, but not with baPWV. This relationship was not evident in persons without ATAA. CONCLUSION: Reduced aortic stiffness (increased compliance), assessed by cfPWV or hfPWV, correlates with larger aortic size of ATAA at the level of the sinuses of Valsalva but not at the ascending aorta, suggesting cfPWV may be a useful method to assess the size of ATAA at the level of the sinuses of Valsalva. Overall aortic stiffness assessed by PWV did not differentiate persons with or without an ATAA, in individuals who do not have a genetic or inheritable cause of their ATAA.