Ultrasound Assessment of Endothelial-Dependent Flow-Mediated Vasodilation of the Brachial Artery in Clinical Research

Summary

Endothelial dysfunction is associated with numerous disease states and is predictive of adverse cardiovascular events in humans. Flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) is a non-invasive ultrasound method of evaluating endothelial function. Methodological choices and operator experience may affect results. A systematic approach to FMD in human studies is discussed here.

Abstract

The vascular endothelium is a monolayer of cells that cover the interior of blood vessels and provide both structural and functional roles. The endothelium acts as a barrier, preventing leukocyte adhesion and aggregation, as well as controlling permeability to plasma components. Functionally, the endothelium affects vessel tone.

Endothelial dysfunction is an imbalance between the chemical species which regulate vessel tone, thombroresistance, cellular proliferation and mitosis. It is the first step in atherosclerosis and is associated with coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, heart failure, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.

The first demonstration of endothelial dysfunction involved direct infusion of acetylcholine and quantitative coronary angiography. Acetylcholine binds to muscarinic receptors on the endothelial cell surface, leading to an increase of intracellular calcium and increased nitric oxide (NO) production. In subjects with an intact endothelium, vasodilation was observed while subjects with endothelial damage experienced paradoxical vasoconstriction.

There exists a non-invasive, in vivo method for measuring endothelial function in peripheral arteries using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound. The endothelial function of peripheral arteries is closely related to coronary artery function. This technique measures the percent diameter change in the brachial artery during a period of reactive hyperemia following limb ischemia.

This technique, known as endothelium-dependent, flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) has value in clinical research settings. However, a number of physiological and technical issues can affect the accuracy of the results and appropriate guidelines for the technique have been published. Despite the guidelines, FMD remains heavily operator dependent and presents a steep learning curve. This article presents a standardized method for measuring FMD in the brachial artery on the upper arm and offers suggestions to reduce intra-operator variability.

Introduction

The human vascular endothelium provides structural and functional roles within the body. In histological sections, the endothelium appears small, comprising a thin layer of cells 1-2 microns thick sitting atop a layer of smooth muscle cells (the media) and a thick layer of connective tissue (the adventitia). Taken as a whole, the endothelium provides a wide area for the exchange of information between the blood and vascular smooth muscle tissue. By one estimate, a cross sectional area of 700 m² and a mass of 1,000-1,500 grams in a 70 kg man, is comparable in mass to the liver¹. A healthy endothelium allows for mechanical to chemical signal transd....

Protocol

The following procedure, developed as part of an investigator-initiated study, was reviewed and approved by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Committee on Human Research (CHR) and all participants gave informed consent.

1. Equipment

1. Use an EKG gated image capture system to record and analyze the FMD. Connect a Philips HD11 ultrasound to a desktop PC.
2. Connect a video signal from the ultrasound with a special frame-grabber card on the PC.
3. Relay an audio signal from the ultrasound to an EKG gating module which amplifies the signal. Carry the amplified signal to the PC, to allow the image capture....

Results

The key variables of flow-mediated vasodilation are shown in Table 1.

Variable	Description
Mean Velocity (cm/sec)	The mean arterial velocity of blood in the middle 50% of the lumen during one cardiac cycle estimated from Doppler spectral waveforms, proportional to blood flow and inversely proportional to cross-sectional area (see Fi.......

Discussion

Endothelial dysfunction is an imbalance in the chemical mediators affecting vessel tone and an early step in the development of atherosclerosis. Measuring the reactivity of an artery is a way to assess the state of these chemical pathways. Both direct and indirect methods of assessing reactivity exist for the different vascular beds, ranging from direct infusion of an endothelium agonist in the coronary circulation to non-invasive, pulse waveform analysis in the index finger³⁸.

Brac.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Philips HD 11XE ultrasound	Philips Healthcare
5-12 MHz linear array transducer	Philips Healthcare	L12-5
Ultrasound gel	Parker Laboratories
Vascular Research Tools v.5.0	Medical Imaging Applications, LLC
MIA Gating module	Medical Imaging Applications, LLC
Windows XP	Microsoft, Inc
Hand-held aneroid manometer	Welch Allyn	DS66