Cardiologie clinique et expérimentale
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Evaluation of Arteriosclerotic Vascular Disease with a New Noble Stiffness Indicator, Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI)

Kohji Shirai, Junji Utino, Atsuhito Saiki, Ichiro Tatsuno, Kazuhiro Shimizu and Mao Takahashi

Arterial stiffness is a well-known predictor of arteriosclerotic vascular disease. One index of arterial stiffness was the pulse wave velocity (PWV). But, it is known that PWV depends on the blood pressure at measuring time. Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is derived from stiffness parameter beta, and reflects the stiffness of the artery from the origin of the aorta to the ankle as a whole. Conspicuous feature is independency from the blood pressure at measuring time. An administration of alfa-1 blocker, doxazosin decreased CAVI transiently. Prostacyclin analogue, beraprost also decreased CAVI. These results suggest that CAVI might reflect the smooth muscle cell contracture. CAVI showed high value with aging, and in patients with cerebral infarction, coronary stenosis, and chronic hemodialysis, suggesting that CAVI is reflecting systemic vascular arteriosclerosis. As for the risks of coronary artery disease, CAVI showed high value in hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking and metabolic syndrome. Improvement of those risk factors reduced CAVI. CAVI seems to be a useful indicator for the management of the risk factors. Arterial inflammatory diseases also showed high CAVI value. Furthermore, various associations between CAVI and cardiac functions such as left ventricular diastolic function were reported. Above results suggested that CAVI reflect the degrees of arteriosclerosis and of ages, and also reflect the contracture of arterial smooth muscle cells. CAVI might be useful to investigate a new insight of vascular function.