Vascular structure versus function: is endothelial dysfunction of independent prognostic importance or not?

n this issue of the Journal, Fathi et al. (1) describe the value f measuring vasomotor endothelial dysfunction and intima edial thickness of the far wall of the common carotid rtery as predictors of clinical outcome in patients at risk for ardiovascular events. This adds to a growing-but-small list f publications exploring this important theme, but in ontrast to most of the previous literature, the authors uggest that endothelial dysfunction does not add indepenent prognostic information when considered in the context f other test results.