Thickness of artery wall may help predict cardiovascular events

Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Certain characteristics of the brachial artery, a major blood vessel located in the upper arm, have been linked to coronary risk factors and coronary artery disease.

A recent study examined whether flow-mediated vasodilation (the process of a vessel dilating when blood flow increases through it) and intima-media thickness (the thickness of the arterial wall’s innermost layers) in the brachial artery could predict the likelihood of patient’s being evaluated for chest pain.

The study examined nearly 400 patients who were undergoing coronary angiography and conducted the necessary measurements with a high-resolution ultrasound.

The researchers found that intima-media thickness was significantly associated with cardiovascular events, predicting “late cardiovascular events” in the population at hand. The authors conclude that flow-mediated vasodilation did not hold long-term prognostic value as a single baseline measure.