Associations of arterial distensibility between carotid arteries and abdominal aorta by MR

Abstract

To investigate the correlations of arterial distensibility between carotid arteries and abdominal aorta by MR. Twenty eight asymptomatic old subjects (71.4 ± 6.7 years; 14 males) and 20 healthy young subjects (23.5 ± 1.0 years; 10 males) were imaged with electrocardiograph-triggered balanced turbo field echo sequence sequence. Arterial distensibility was calculated as the relative lumen area change against unit blood pressure change and its relationship between carotid arteries and abdominal aorta was determined. The arterial distensibility in old subjects was significantly smaller than that in young subjects for left carotid artery (19.0 ± 6.6 × 10(-3) /kpa versus 30.9 ± 6.5 × 10(-3) /kpa), right carotid artery (16.7 ± 6.1 × 10(-3) /kpa versus 28.6 ± 9.3 × 10(-3) /kpa), and abdominal aorta (14.3 ± 5.5 × 10(-3) /kpa versus 37.5 ± 8.8 × 10(-3) /kpa), respectively (all P < 0.001). In both age groups, distensibility of the abdominal aorta was strongly correlated with that of the left carotid artery (old age group: r = 0.553; P = 0.004; young age group: r = 0.487; P = 0.029) but not with that of the right carotid artery (old age group: r = 0.371; P = 0.062; young age group: r = 0.189; P = 0.424). The distensibility of abdominal aorta is much more strongly associated with that of the left carotid artery compared with that of the right carotid artery.