Relationship between presystolic A wave and aortic distensibility in hypertensive patients

Purpose: Arterial stiffness has been shown as an independent predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in hypertensive patients. commonly seen in pulse wave Doppler echocardiographic examination of the left ventricle outflow tract, is related to diastolic dysfunction and arterial stiffness parameters. Our study aims to investigate the relation between aortic distensibility (AD) and presystolic A wave (PSW),. Materials and Methods: Hypertensive patients were included in the study. Aortic stiffness was calculated by measuring aortic diameters with m-mode in echocardiography, and the presence of PSW was noted from the left ventricle outflow tract just proximal to the aortic valve in apical five-chamber view. Results: A total of 149 hypertensive patients were included. Diastolic blood pressure, septum diameter, posterior wall diameter, aortic diastolic, and systolic diameter were significantly higher in the presence of PSW. Aortic distensibility (AD) was higher in patients with PSW. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that AD (OR: 0.812, 95% CI: 0.712 – 0.927, p = 0.002) was an independent predictor of PSW presence. Conclusion: PSW presence is associated with aortic stiffness evaluated by decreased aortic distensibility and highlights that PSW presence could be an independent predictor of aortic stiffness in patients with HT.