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Vascular stiffness is a major contributory factor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) could make it possible to evaluate vascular rigidity in a site by the measurement of the arterial wall velocity. The objective of this work is to validate the use of tissue Doppler imaging in the assessment of carotid rigidity. The following parameters were measured with TDI (ATL HDI 5000 and software HDI Lab): maximum velocity and mean acceleration of parietal motion (VMax and AccMax). These measurements were corrected for the arterial diameter and pulse pressure (VMax cor and AccMax cor). These data have been compared to the calculated parameters of elasticity from a mode M echography. Thirty-one subjects aged of 26 to 77 years (41.6 +/- 10.6 years, m +/- ESM), without atheromatous plaque or high blood pressure, have been included. The VMax is correlated very significantly at the parietal velocity calculated with mode M echography (r = 0.77; p = 0.00002). The VMax cor is correlated significantly with the parameters of stiffness following: distensibility coefficient, compliance coefficient, pulse wave velocity, elasticity modulus of Young, coefficient beta. [table: see text] Tissue Doppler imaging allows an easy evaluation of the carotid stiffness correlated with the parameters of elasticity. Therefore it constitutes a method of evaluation of the cardiovascular risk. Further longitudinal studies will be able to assess the involvement of the carotid stiffness as causal agent of the cardiovascular risk.