Factors Associated With Pathological Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke

Aim. To compare the clinical significance of the pathological cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and the abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI) in patients with acute stroke, and to assess the factors associated with the presence of pathological CAVI in these patients. Methods. 375 patients with stroke (aged 65,0±7,5 years, 200 men and 175 women) were examined in the Department of Neurology at Cardiac Dispensary. All patients were assigned into three groups based on CAVI and ABI: Group 1 - patients with CAVI<9.0 and ABI>0.9 (n= 131), Group 2 - patients with CAVI>9.0 and ABI>0.9 (n = 153), Group 3 - patients with ABI<0.9 (n = 91).Data on rior vascular events and the presence of cardiovascular disease were colledcted. All patients underwent colour Duplex scanning of brachiocephalic arteries, echocardiography, electrocardiography, and laboratory testing (lipid profile, complete blood count, biochemical blood assay, coagulation profile). Arterial stiffness was measured with the VaSera VS-1000. Results We found that patients with abnormal levels of CAVI (40.8%) were more likely to have concomitant cardiovascular disease (diabetes, chronic heart failure, rhythm disturbances). Patients with abnormal CAVI more often had extracranial artery stenoses (p = 0.001), thickened intima-media complex (p = 0.02), and atrial fibrillation (p = 0.007) compared to patients with normal CAVI. Conclusion The assessment of cardio-ankle vascular index is preferable in patients with stroke. It allows timely identifying patients with increased arterial stiffness and peripheral artery disease and initiating targeted therapeutic procedures.