Associations between augmentation index and severity of atheroma or aortic stiffness of the descending thoracic aorta by transesophageal echocardiography.

BACKGROUND Although the aortic augmentation index (AI) is an attractive tool as an index of the vascular system, the association between radial AI or brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV) and severity of atheroma or arterial stiffness of the morphological central artery is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS Severity of atheroma and aortic stiffness of the descending thoracic aorta (DTA) by transesophageal echography in 96 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was assessed. The relationship between radial AI or brachial-ankle PWV and atherosclerotic lesions was also investigated. The DTA was divided into 3 equal longitudinal portions, and the atheromatous lesions of each portion of the DTA were scored according to their character and extension. Instantaneous dimensional changes in the DTA was measured, and the aortic stiffness index beta was calculated. Radial AI was significantly correlated with age, plasma low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentrations, systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, the mean atheromatous score and the mean aortic stiffness index. However, brachial-ankle PWV was not associated with central arterial stiffness. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that radial AI was most closely correlated with the mean atheromatous score. CONCLUSIONS Radial AI might be a novel tool for determining the severity of central aortic atheromatous lesions.