Association of impaired arterial wall properties with the presence of coronary artery disease in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms

Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a valid, clinically feasible marker of arterial stiffening, and a strong predictor of outcomes. The present study aimed to compare aortic elastic properties in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), with or without coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as healthy individuals. A total of 130 patients with AAA, eligible for interventional repair, and 30 healthy individuals, comprising the control group (HC), were enrolled. Presence of CAD was identified by coronary angiography. Aortic PWV (aPWV) was measured using the Arteriograph. aPWV was found considerably higher in AAA patients compared with HC group (11.5 ± 2.9 vs 7.3 ± 1.6 m/s, P < .001). Importantly, among patients with AAA, those with concomitant CAD (n = 41) had greater aPWV than those without CAD (12.5 ± 2.9 vs 11.0 ± 3.0 m/s, P = .03). In receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis, a value of aPWV above 12.8 m/s was identified to correlate with the presence of CAD in the AAA patient population. After adjustment for confounders, including hypertension which is one of the major risk factors for abdominal aneurysms, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that this aPWV cutoff remained independently associated with presence of CAD [odds ratio = 1.64, 95% confidence interval =1.19-4.08, P = .03]. The coexistence of CAD and AAA is characterized by a greater arterial stiffness. This finding should be taken into consideration when selecting endovascular stents with more favorable elastic properties. Moreover, AAA patients with high aPWV (>12.8 m/s) are more likely to also have CAD, and this may be considered by vascular surgeons when evaluating patients' cardiovascular risk.