Region dependency of pulse wave velocity in the atherosclerotic aorta of the Kurosawa and Kusanagi-hypercholesterolemic (KHC) rabbit

We investigated the relation of regional foot-to-foot pulse wave velocity (PWV) along the atherosclerotic aorta to the fractional lesioned area at various aortic regions in Kurosawa and Kusanagi-Hypercholesterolemic (KHC) rabbits aged 10–12 months. The PWV was determined at 8 positions in the aorta and iliac artery from the time delay between two pulse waves and the distance between two micromanometers in situ. The fractional lesioned area was calculated in 7 aortic regions sectioned at 7 positions in which pulse waves were recorded. The PWV increased with passage through the aortic arch and with increasing distance from the heart, decreased in the thoracic aorta, and moderately increased again in the abdominal aorta. The fractional lesioned area was maximal in the aortic arch, reduced in the thoracic aorta, and moderately increased again in the proximal abdominal aorta. In the middle and distal abdominal aorta, the fractional lesioned area was markedly reduced, to below 10% compared with the entire area of the aortic segment. We conclude that the regional PWV in the atherosclerotic aorta is dependent on the extent of the lesioned area at the different aortic segments through which the pulse wave is propagated.