Method and apparatus for examining vascular endothelial functions
First Claim
1. A method for assessing vascular endothelial function, comprising;
- a stimulation step of giving stimulation for inducing a release of endothelium-derived relaxing factors from vascular endothelium to a specified region of the artery in a living body, a pre-stimulation measurement step of measuring, before said stimulation step, almost simultaneously first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information which is a pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information related to the velocity at which a pulse conducts through the first segment including a part or a whole of the specified region of the artery and second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information which is said pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information of the artery in the second segment almost symmetric to said first segment with respect to the median plane, a post-stimulation measurement step of measuring said first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information and said second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information after said stimulation step, and a comparative value calculation step of calculating respectively the pre-stimulation comparative value representing a difference or ratio of the first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information to the second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information obtained at said pre-stimulation measurement step and the post-stimulation comparative value representing a difference or ratio of the first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information to the second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information obtained at said post-stimulation measurement step.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Vascular endothelial function in terms of flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of peripheral arteries can be assessed reliably by measuring beat-to-beat pulse-wave conduction time (PCT) simultaneously for two symmetric segments of arteries locating on the right and left sides of body. When reactive hyperemia is induced in the peripheral tissues on one side, the time dependent changes in PCT caused by FMD on that side can be detected as the beat-to-beat differences in PCT between two sides (ΔPCT). ΔPCT would provide a sensitive and specific assessment of the FMD response, because the influences of the systemic changes in hemodynamic and neurohumoral factors common to both sides are subtracted out. In addition, measurement of PCT requires no skillful technique and is advantageous in that the apparatus is inexpensive.
21 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method for assessing vascular endothelial function, comprising;
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a stimulation step of giving stimulation for inducing a release of endothelium-derived relaxing factors from vascular endothelium to a specified region of the artery in a living body, a pre-stimulation measurement step of measuring, before said stimulation step, almost simultaneously first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information which is a pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information related to the velocity at which a pulse conducts through the first segment including a part or a whole of the specified region of the artery and second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information which is said pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information of the artery in the second segment almost symmetric to said first segment with respect to the median plane, a post-stimulation measurement step of measuring said first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information and said second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information after said stimulation step, and a comparative value calculation step of calculating respectively the pre-stimulation comparative value representing a difference or ratio of the first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information to the second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information obtained at said pre-stimulation measurement step and the post-stimulation comparative value representing a difference or ratio of the first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information to the second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information obtained at said post-stimulation measurement step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 7)
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5. A method for assessing vascular endothelial function, comprising;
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a stimulation step of giving stimulation for inhibiting the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factors from vascular endothelium and also for inhibiting vascular dilation resulting from the release of said endothelium-derived relaxing factors to a specified region of the artery in a living body, a pre-stimulation measurement step of measuring, before said stimulation step, almost simultaneously first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information which is pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information related to the velocity at which a pulse conducts through the first segment including a part or a whole of the specified region of the artery and second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information which is said pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information of the artery in the second segment almost symmetric to said first segment with respect to the median plane, a post-stimulation measurement step of measuring said first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information and said second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information after said stimulation step, and a comparative value calculation step of calculating respectively the pre-stimulation comparative value representing a difference or ratio of the first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information to the second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information obtained at said pre-stimulation measurement step and the post-stimulation comparative value representing a difference or ratio of the first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information to the second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information obtained at said post-stimulation measurement step. - View Dependent Claims (6, 8)
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9. An apparatus for assessing vascular endothelial function, comprising;
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an arterial occlusion apparatus for occluding arteries in a specified region in a living body for more than a predetermined time, a pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information measurement apparatus for measuring successively said first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information which is a pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information related to the velocity at which a pulse conducts through the artery in the first segment including a part or a whole of the specified region of said artery and the second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information which is said pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information of the artery in the second segment almost symmetric to said first segment with respect to the median plane, and comparative value calculating means for calculating the pre-ischemic comparative value representing a difference or ratio of said first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information to said second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information before ischemia by said arterial occlusion apparatus and also for calculating the post-ischemic comparative value representing a difference or ratio of said first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information to said second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information after release from ischemia (arterial occlusion) by said arterial occlusion apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification