Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Carotid artery stiffness evaluated early by wave intensity in normal left ventricular function in post-radiotherapy patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Medical Ultrasonics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to assess carotid elasticity early in normal left ventricular function in post-radiotherapy patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) by wave intensity.

Methods

Sixty-seven post-radiotherapy patients all with normal left ventricular function were classified into group NPC1 and group NPC2 based on their carotid intima-media thickness. Thirty age- and sex-matched NPC patients without any history of irradiation and chemotherapy were included as a control group. Carotid parameters, including stiffness constant (β), pressure–strain elastic modulus (Ep), arterial compliance (AC), stiffness constant pulse wave velocity (PWVβ), and wave intensity pulse wave velocity (PWVWI) were measured.

Results

There were no significant differences in conventional echocardiographic variables among the three groups. In comparison with the control group, β, Ep, PWVβ, and PWVWI were significantly increased, while AC was significantly decreased in the NPC1 and NPC2 groups, and there were differences between the NPC1 group and NPC2 group (all P < 0.05).

Conclusion

This study suggested that carotid artery stiffness increased with reduced carotid compliance in post-RT with NPC.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Li CS, Schminke U, Tan TY. Extracranial carotid artery disease in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with post-irradiation ischemic stroke. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2010;112:682–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Dorresteijn LD, Kappelle AC, Scholz NM, et al. Increased carotid wall thickening after radiotherapy on the neck. Eur J Cancer. 2005;41:1026–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Yuan C, Wu VW, Yip SP, et al. Ultrasound evaluation of carotid atherosclerosis in post-radiotherapy nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, type 2 diabetics, and healthy controls. Ultraschall Med. 2017;38:190–7.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Yuan C, Wu VW, Yip SP, et al. Predictors of the extent of carotid atherosclerosis in patients treated with radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. PLoS ONE. 2014;9:e116284.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Gujral DM, Shah BN, Chahal NS, et al. Arterial stiffness as a biomarker of radiation-induced carotid atherosclerosis. Angiology. 2016;67:266–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Parker KH, Jones CJ. Forward and backward running waves in the arteries: analysis using the method of characteristics. J Biomech Eng. 1990;112:322–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Sugawara M, Niki K, Ohte N, et al. Clinical usefulness of wave intensity analysis. Med Biol Eng Comput. 2009;47:197–206.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Smiseth OA, Thompson CR, Lohavanichbutr K, et al. The pulmonary venous systolic flow pulse—its origin and relationship to left atrial pressure. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1999;34:802–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Nie M, Kobayashi H, Sugawara M, et al. Helium inhalation enhances vasodilator effect of inhaled nitric oxide on pulmonary vessels in hypoxic dogs. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2001;280:H1875–81.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. MacRae JM, Sun YH, Isaac DL, et al. Wave-intensity analysis: a new approach to left ventricular filling dynamics. Heart Vessels. 1997;12:53–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Sun YH, Anderson TJ, Parker KH, et al. Wave-intensity analysis: a new approach to coronary hemodynamics. J Appl Physiol. 1985;2000:1636–44.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Jones CJ, Sugawara M, Kondoh Y, et al. Compression and expansion wavefront travel in canine ascending aortic flow: wave intensity analysis. Heart Vessels. 2002;16:91–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Liu CL, Wang CZ, Wang Y, et al. Early evaluation of carotid elasticity by an instantaneous wave intensity technique in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. J Ultrasound Med. 2014;33:2125–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Yu ZX, Wang XZ, Guo RJ, et al. Comparison of ultrasound echo-tracking technology and pulse wave velocity for measuring carotid elasticity among hemodialysis patients. Hemodial Int. 2013;17:19–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Huang TL, Hsu HC, Chen HC, et al. Long-term effects on carotid intima-media thickness after radiotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Radiat Oncol. 2013;8:261.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Bleasdale RA, Mumford CE, Campbell RI, et al. Wave intensity analysis from the common carotid artery: a new noninvasive index of cerebral vasomotor tone. Heart Vessels. 2003;18:202–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Spence JD, Koschinsky M. Mechanisms of lipoprotein(a) pathogenicity: prothrombotic, proatherosclerotic, or both? Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2012;32:1550–1.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Antonini-Canterin F, Rosca M, Beladan CC, et al. Echo-tracking assessment of carotid artery stiffness in patients with aortic valve stenosis. Echocardiography. 2009;26:823–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Chow B, Rabkin SW. The relationship between arterial stiffness and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a systemic meta-analysis. Heart Fail Rev. 2015;20:291–303.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Vriz O, Favretto S, Jaroch J, et al. Left ventricular function assessed by one-point carotid wave intensity in newly diagnosed untreated hypertensive patients. J Ultrasound Med. 2017;36:25–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Sugawara M, Niki K, Furuhata H, et al. Relationship between the pressure and diameter of the carotid artery in humans. Heart Vessels. 2000;15:49–51.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Devereux RB, Roman MJ, de Simone G, et al. Relations of left ventricular mass to demographic and hemodynamic variables in American Indians: the strong heart study. Circulation. 1997;96:1416–23.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Lam WW, Leung SF, So NM, et al. Incidence of carotid stenosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after radiotherapy. Cancer. 2001;92:2357–63.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Cheng SW, Wu LL, Ting AC, et al. Irradiation-induced extracranial carotid stenosis in patients with head and neck malignancies. Am J Surg. 1999;178:323–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Wilkinson IB, Franklin SS, Hall IR, et al. Pressure amplification explains why pulse pressure is unrelated to risk in young subjects. Hypertension. 2001;38:1461–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Jie Li, Juan Li, and Jingbin Shi from the Department of Radiation Oncology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, China for helping in collection of the cases.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China

    Zhuo Zhang, Jing Qian & Yanfang Duan

  2. Department of Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, China

    Runlan Luo, Bijun Tan, Nan Wang & Guangsen Li

Authors
  1. Zhuo Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Runlan Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bijun Tan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jing Qian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yanfang Duan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Nan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Guangsen Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guangsen Li.

Ethics declarations

Ethical statements

All participants provided their written consent for participation in this study. The design proposal and methods of data collection and analysis in this study were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Hospital.

Conflict of interest

There are no financial or other relations that could lead to a conflict of interest.

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, Z., Luo, R., Tan, B. et al. Carotid artery stiffness evaluated early by wave intensity in normal left ventricular function in post-radiotherapy patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. J Med Ultrasonics 45, 301–306 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-017-0817-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-017-0817-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation