O'Rourke M F, Mancia G
J Hypertens. 1999 Jan;17(1):1-4. doi: 10.1097/00004872-199917010-00001.
Arterial stiffness is an important determinant of pulse pressure, and of left ventricular load and coronary perfusion pressure.
Precise quantification is elusive, since stiffness is different in different arteries and even in the same artery at different pressures. Proximal elastic arteries and peripheral muscular arteries respond differently to aging change and to drugs. Various other terms are used to express stiffness, such as distensibility and compliance. Various indirect indices are also used, including pulse wave velocity, characteristic impedance and augmentation index.
While the literature is confusing, it is well established that stiffness of central arteries increases with aging and with elevated blood pressure. Effects of other diseases and of vasoactive agents are less clear-cut.
动脉僵硬度是脉压、左心室负荷和冠状动脉灌注压的重要决定因素。
精确量化难以实现，因为不同动脉的僵硬度不同，甚至同一动脉在不同压力下的僵硬度也不同。近端弹性动脉和外周肌性动脉对衰老变化和药物的反应不同。还使用了各种其他术语来表示僵硬度，如扩张性和顺应性。也使用了各种间接指标，包括脉搏波速度、特征阻抗和增强指数。
虽然文献存在混淆，但已明确中心动脉的僵硬度随年龄增长和血压升高而增加。其他疾病和血管活性药物的影响则不太明确。
