Carotid-Ventricular Coupling During Exercise A Pilot Study

Methods-Thirty-six elderly patients and 18 young healthy volunteers were recruited. The right carotid diameter was estimated by an automatic system applied to B-mode sonographic sequences, central mean blood and pulse pressures by radial artery tonometry, and cardiac volumes by 2-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography; from these direct measurements, the carotid cross-sectional distensibility coefficient and left ventricular elastance index were obtained. Analyses were performed at rest, at peak stress, and during the recovery phase.