Relationship between pulse-wave velocity and arterial elasticity

Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measuredin situ in 11 isolated canine common carotid arteries. Seven arteries exhibited a linear PWV/pressure function at pressures ranging from 0 to 200 mm Hg. Four arteries yielded a linear relationship between PWV and pressure between 1 and 100 mm Hg; for these vessels the relationship was nonlinear at higher pressures. Seven arteries (five from the group which was linear up to 200 mm Hg and two from the group which was linear up to 100 mm Hg) were excised and presure/volume measurements were madein vivo. Using pressure/volume data, the Moens-Korteweg equation was evaluated as a predictor of the PWV/pressure relationship over the linear region. An expression was developed to anable prediction of the pressure/volume relationship using the coefficients at the linear PWV/pressure function; these predictions were evaluated. We found that, for this range, the Moens-Korteweg equation provides a very good basis for predicting the increase in PWV with increasing bias pressure. In addition, we found that the pressure/volume relationship of common carotid arteries is well represented by an exponential of the form V/V_o=Ke^αf(P), which was derived as the inverse solution to the Moens-Korteweg equation.