Carotid arterial compliance in patients with congestive heart failure secondary to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy

Conduit artery distensibility affects the pulsatile component of afterload and may contribute to impaired left ventricular function in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). The objective of this study were to (1) determine whether arterial distensibility is reduced in patients with CHF, and (2) determine whether decreased arterial compliance is related to an abnormality in vascular wall structure (i.e., wall thickness or excessive levels of circulating neurohumoral vasoconstrictors, or both). The study participants included 40 patients with CHF secondary to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and 33 age-matched healthy volunteers. High-resolution ultrasonography was performed to directly visualize the common carotid artery and measure its diameter and wall thickness. Its elastic properties were determined by relating changes in arterial diameter to changes in pressure generated with each heart beat. Carotid artery distensibility was less (14.1 [+ or -] 1.1 vs 25.3 [+ or -] 1.6 [10.sup.-6] * [N.sup.-1] * [m.sup.2], p (Am J Cardiol 1994;74:691-695)