Evaluate the relationship between coronary artery calcification (CAC) and arterial compliance

The objective of this article is to evaluate the relationship between coronary artery calcification (CAC) and arterial compliance for patients with different calcification scores. Sixty one patients under went coronary artery calcification examination were recurred for this study. Patients were divided into three groups: low-score (0~11), mid-score (11~100) and high-score (101~), according to their CAC score. Two measurements of arterial compliance from the continuous blood pressure waveforms were examined, the time constant during diastolic and the ration of area during systolic and diastolic. The results indicate that when comparing compliances estimated by diastolic time constant according to their CAC scores, there are significant different between low-score and mid-score (p < 0.05) and between low-score and high-score (p < 0.05). On the other hand, no significant different was found between these three groups when comparing compliances estimated by area method. However, due to the uneven distribution of patients, more patients with high CAC score will be needed to generate more reliable results.