Abstract:

Objectiv  To explore the effect of the echo tracking (ET) technique in determining the carotid elasticity in hypertensive (HBP) patients with different courses following drug therapy. Methods  With the ET technique, the carotid β, Ep, AC, AI and PVWβ of HBP patients were calculated pre- and post-treatment. A total of 124 HBP cases were divided into two groups: the short-course group (≤1 year, 57 cases) and the longcourse group(＞1 year, 67 cases). Another 44 healthy adults served as the controls. The parameters were compared between the control group and the HBP group, between the short-course group and the longcourse group as well as between the pre-treatment group and the post-treatment group. Results Compared with the control group, the β， Ep， AC， AI and PVWβ were different in HBP patients before and after drug treatments. After drug intervention, the levels of β， Ep, PVWβ were decreased and AC was significantly increased in the HBP group (P＜0.05), and these changes were significant in the shortcourse group. There was no difference of AI in HBP patients before and after drug intervention (P＞0.05). Conclusions  Drug intervention improves the carotid elasticity of HBP patients, and the earlier, the better, which can be shown by the ET technique．

Key words: Ultrasonography; Hypertension; Carotid Arteries; Echo-tracking technique