Pulse wave velocity as a marker of severity of coronary artery disease

To determine whether pulse wave velocity (PWV) as a measure of arterial stiffness is a marker of coronary artery diseases (CAD), the authors did a cross-sectional study in 92 patients undergoing coronary angiography for suspected CAD. Arterial stiffness was assessed through recording PWV from the left carotid-right femoral arteries using an automated machine. The mean PWV was higher in patients with CAD than in those without CAD (11.13+/-0.91 vs 8.14+/-1.25 m/sec; P