Aortic stiffness Evaluated by M Mode Transthoracic Echocardiography in Correlation with Hypertension Degree and Additional Cardiovascular Risk

Abstract

Evaluation of arterial stiffness, by non-invasive and costly methods in clinical practice, (aplanation tonometry, Doppler ultrasound, MRI) showed the impact of arterial stiffness on cardiovascular risk in different population groups and suggested the utility of this parameter in the assessment of cardiovascular risk. The aim of the study was to evaluate the noninvasive parameters of aortic stiffness measured by transthoracic Mmode ultrasonography in correlation with the degree of hypertension and additional cardiovascular risk in patients with arterial hypertension (AH). We evaluated 88 hypertensive patients (pts), 34 pts (38,63%) with first-degree and 54 pts (61,36%) with second and third-degree AH according to the European Society of Cardiology 2013 Guidelines recommendation for the diagnosis of AH. High additional cardiovascular risk was established in 6 pts. (6.81%) with first degree, 15 pts (17.045%) with second and third degree AH and very high additional cardiovascular risk in 9 pts (10.22%) with first degree, 9 pts (10.22%) with second and 13 pts (14.77%) with third degree of AH. The results showed increasing in the aortic stiffness index and decreasing in the aortic strain in parallel with the AH degree and with the enhancement of additional cardiovascular risk. These data recommend the M-mode transthoracic echocardiography, an available and less expensive method, to asses aortic stiffness in clinical practice.