Measures of the functional and structural properties of blood vessels can be used to assess preclinical stage of vascular disorders. Recent experimental and population studies show that arterial stiffening precedes development of high blood pressure, and can be used to predict future cardiovascular events. Arterial stiffness was also shown to be reversible in several experimental models of various conditions. Since reversing arterial stiffness could prevent development of hypertension and other clinical conditions, understanding the biological mechanisms of arterial stiffening and investigating potential therapeutic interventions to modulate arterial stiffness are important research topics. For research and application in general clinical settings, it is an important step to develop reliable devices and a standardized arterial stiffness measurement protocol.
Keywords: Aortic stiffness; Arterial; Cardiovascular disease; Hypertension; Vascular biology.