Flow Mediated Dilatation and Progression of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms.
Lee R., Bellamkonda K., Jones A., Killough N., Woodgate F., Williams M., Cassimjee I., Handa A., Oxford Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Study None.
OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Biomarker(s) for prediction of the future progression rate of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) may be useful to stratify the management of individual patients. AAAs are associated with features of systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Flow mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery is a recognised non-invasive measurement for endothelial function. We hypothesised that FMD is a potential biomarker of AAA progression and reflects the temporal changes of endothelial function during AAA progression. METHODS: In a prospectively recruited cohort of patients with AAAs (Oxford Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Study), AAA size was recorded by antero-posterior diameter (APD) (outer to outer) on ultrasound. Annual AAA progression was calculated by (ΔAPD/APD at baseline)/(number of days lapsed/365 days). FMD was assessed at the same time as AAA size measurement. Analyses of data were performed in the overall cohort, and further in subgroups of AAA by size (small: 30-39 mm; moderate: 40-55 mm; large: > 55 mm). RESULTS: FMD is inversely correlated with the diameter of AAAs in all patients (n=162, Spearman's r=-.28, p