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CLINICAL RESEARCH: ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Prognostic Value of Brachial Artery Endothelial Function and Wall Thickness

Matthias Frick, MD^_*, Alois Suessenbacher, MD^_*, Hannes F. Alber, MD^_*, Wolfgang Dichtl, MD, PhD^_*, Hanno Ulmer, PhD, Otmar Pachinger, MD, FACC^_* and Franz Weidinger, MD, FACC^_*,_*

^_* Division of Cardiology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
Institute for Biostatistics, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.

Manuscript received December 7, 2004; revised manuscript received April 26, 2005, accepted May 22, 2005.

^_* Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Franz Weidinger, Division of Cardiology, Innsbruck Medical University, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. (Email: F.Weidinger{at}uibk.ac.at).

OBJECTIVES: We sought to examine the prognostic value of brachial artery (BA) flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) and intima-media thickness (IMT) in patients admitted for invasive evaluation of chest pain.

BACKGROUND: Both FMD and IMT of the BA have been associated with coronary risk factors and the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD). Recent studies on the prognostic value of FMD have been conflicting.

METHODS: In 398 consecutive patients (age 54 ± 9 years) undergoing coronary angiography, FMD and IMT of the BA were measured using high-resolution ultrasound (13 MHz). Patients were divided into two groups according to the FMD median (7.6%). After a mean follow-up of 39 ± 12 months, cardiovascular events were documented.

RESULTS: No difference was found in the number of cardiovascular events between groups. On multivariate Cox regression analysis, including age, number of risk factors, BA diameter, presence of CAD, FMD, and IMT, only the presence of CAD and IMT remained significantly associated with cardiovascular events.

CONCLUSIONS: Intima-media thickness predicted late (up to 4 years) cardiovascular events in a large population admitted for evaluation of chest pain. In contrast, the long-term prognostic value of a single baseline measure of BA-FMD seems to be limited.

Abbreviations and Acronyms   BA = brachial artery   CAD = coronary artery disease   FMD = flow-mediated vasodilation   IMT = intima-media thickness   NMD = nitroglycerin-mediated vasodilation

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