From the Medical Literature - November 2000

Record  1

  Mechanical properties of the common carotid artery in Williams syndrome.
  Aggoun Y; Sidi D; Levy BI; Lyonnet S; Kachaner J; Bonnet D
  INSERM   0016   and   Service   de   Cardiologie   Pediatrique,   Hopital
Necker-Enfants Malades, 149 rue de Sevres 75743, Paris Cedex 15, France.
  Heart (ENGLAND)   Sep 2000,  84 (3) p290-3,  ISSN 1355-6037
  Languages: ENGLISH
  Document type: JOURNAL ARTICLE

  OBJECTIVE:  To  determine  whether  arterial  wall hypertrophy in elastic
arteries  was  associated with alteration in their mechanical properties in
young  patients  with  Williams  syndrome.  METHODS:  Arterial pressure and
intima-media   thickness,   cross   sectional  compliance,  distensibility,
circumferential  wall stress, and incremental elastic modulus of the common
carotid  artery  were measured non-invasively in 21 Williams patients (mean
(SD)  age  8.5 (4) years) and 21 children of similar age. RESULTS: Systolic
and  diastolic  blood  pressures were higher in Williams patients (125/66 v
113/60 mm Hg, p < 0.05). The mean (SD) intima-media thickness was increased
in  Williams  patients,  at  0.6  (0.07)  v  0.5  (0.03)  mm  (p < 0. 001).
Normotensive Williams patients had a lower circumferential wall stress (2.1
(0.5)  v  3.0  (0.7) mm Hg, p < 0.01), a higher distensibility (1.1 (0.3) v
0.8  (0.3)  mm Hg(-1).10(-2), p < 0.01), similar cross sectional compliance
(0.14  (0.04)  v  0.15  (0.05)  mm(2).  mm  Hg(-1),  p  >  0.05), and lower
incremental  elastic  modulus  (7.4  (2.  0)  v 14.0 (5.0) mm Hg.10(2); p <
0.001).  CONCLUSIONS:  The  compliance of the large elastic arteries is not
modified in Williams syndrome, even though increased intima-media thickness
and  lower  arterial  stiffness are consistent features. Therefore systemic
hypertension  cannot  be  attributed to impaired compliance of the arterial
tree in this condition.

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