Pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurement is widely used for the indirect assessment of
arterial wall distensibility. In order to improve its measurement technique, we built
a system performing the calculation of the cross-correlation function of Doppler velocity
signals. In 12 normal subjects and 10 patients, the mean difference between duplicate
measurements was 0.7 + 7.8 % (NS). We tested this technique in 15 elderly volunteers
before and after a three months training period. Brachial and tibial systolic blood
pressure decreased respectively from 18.1 ± 2.2 kPa to 16.7±1.9 kPa (p = 0.008) and
from 21.1 ± 3.4 kPa to 18.4 ± 2.5 kPa (p = 0.003), while lower limb PWV decreased
from 8.96 ± 1.26 to 7.92 ± 1.22 m s-1 (p = 0.016). Therefore, automatic PWV measurement using the cross-correlation techniqiue
allows to demonstrate training induced changes in PWV, although concomitant changes
in blood pressure must be considered in their interpretation.
Key words
Artery - pulse wave velocity - measuremeint - repro-ducibility - training - elderly
volunteers
