Diagnostic value of arteriel stiffness ındex and reflection ındex measurements in peripheral arterial disease: A comparative study

Aim: Atherosclerosis is undoubtedly a chronic, progressive, inflammatory and long asymptomatic disease. Therefore, early diagnosis is important in the long process. There are many methods used for early diagnosis. Among them, reliable, easily applicable, reproducible, inexpensive and easily accessible ones come to the fore. Digital Pulse Volume, which we obtained with Optical Pulse Oscillography, which is one of the digital plethysmographic methods that can be used in the early diagnosis and follow-up of peripheral arterial disease. In this study, we investigated the variability of these two parameters in patients diagnosed with peripheral artery disease.

Material and Methods: This single-center retrospective study was conducted between January 2019 and August 2020 in Bursa Heart and Arrhythmia Hospital Cardiovascular Surgery Outpatient Clinic. Ankle Brachial Index measurement was performed in 76 of the patients who applied to the outpatient clinic with the complaint of walking pain. Patients with an ankle brachial index below 0.9 and diagnosed with Peripheral Artery Disease and patients with an ankle brachial index of 0.9 and above were divided into 2 groups. Arterial Stiffness Index and Reflection Index measurements were made in patients in both groups. The difference between the two groups was compared.

Results: ASI values of group 1 patients were 7.18±1.41m/sec. while in Group 2 it was 11.08±0.90 m/sec. and it was found to be statistically significantly lower and within normal ranges in Group 1 (p<0.001), similarly, RI was found to be 16.61±3.44% in Group 1 and 33.16±10.71% in Group 2, and statistically significantly lower in Group 1 and in the normal range (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Assessment of arterial stiffness index and reflection index is believed to be useful in the prevention of CVD. By identifying people who are at risk of developing arterial stiffness, interventions can be targeted to reduce their risk of developing CVD.