Renal and carotid vascular resistance assessed with Doppler sonography

PURPOSE: Resistance index (RI) is widely used for the evaluation of circulatory resistance and atherosclerosis with Doppler sonography, but differences in RI among vascular beds have not been fully elucidated. The present study was designed to evaluate the relationship between renal and carotid artery RI and to compare their relative risk factors for an increase in RI. METHODS: One hundred eighty-five inpatients who underwent sonographic assessment of the renal and carotid arteries were enrolled in the study. RESULTS: Multivariate analyses revealed that age, pulse pressure (PP), and serum glucose level were positively correlated, whereas diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and creatinine clearance were negatively correlated with the RI of the interlobar arteries. Sex (male) and PP correlated positively, whereas DBP correlated negatively with the RI of the common carotid artery (CCA). The RI of the interlobar arteries was positively associated with that of the CCA, even after adjustment for major cardiovascular risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that RI of the renal and carotid arteries increase in parallel to a certain extent. On the other hand, risk factors for the increase of RI of the carotid and renal arteries differed in part, suggesting that specific control of respective risk factors may also be needed to prevent vascular damage in each vascular bed.