Difference of Systemic Vascular Compliance According to the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Ischemic Heart Disease

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It is contradictory that arterial stiffness, especially in a systemic vascular tree, is related to coronary artery disease. This study was performed to establish the relationship between systemic vascular compliance and the severity of coronary artery disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study population was comprised of 53 chronic stable angina patients and 45 normal healthy controls. Coronary angiography was used to determine the involved vessels. The systemic vascular compliance and other hemodynamic variables were measured by a non-invasive pulse dynamic waveform analysis. RESULTS: In the patient group, 15 (24.5%) had one-vessel disease, 15 (24.5%) a two-vessel disease and the remaining 23 (43%) had a three-vessel disease. In the patients with a three-vessel disease, the systemic vascular compliance was significantly lower than those of the other two groups (p<0.05). The systemic vascular compliance of the patients with multi-vessel diseases (including two-vessel and three-vessel) was also significantly lower than that of the controls or patients with a one-vessel disease (p<0.05). The systemic vascular compliance was found to have a significant negative association with the severity of coronary artery disease (Spearman's rho=-0.296, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study has shown that arterial stiffness (or systemic vascular compliance) is significantly associated with the severity coronary artery disease, and the serial non-invasive measurement of the systemic vascular compliance may be useful in the early detection of severe coronary artery disease.