Prognostic Value of Flow-Mediated Dilation of the Brachial Artery in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease

Objective: Endothelial dysfunction is thought to represent the initial stage in the development of atherosclerosis. Recently, noninvasive examination of endothelial function has become possible using flow-mediated endothelium-dependent dilation of the brachial artery (FMD) during reactive hyperemia. We examined whether FMD has prognostic value for the prediction of subsequent cardiovascular events. Methods: Patients were followed prospectively every month until the occurrence of the cardiovascular events. Patients: The study subjects comprised 221 consecutive patients (men 108, mean age 61.4±10.6, ischemic heart disease 152, cardiomyopathy 28, arrhythmia 12, valvular disease 5, congenital heart disease 3, and cardioneurosis 21). The mean FMD was 4.77±2.85% and this value was used to divide the patients into the 2 groups (Group 1: FMD ≥4.7%; Group 2: FMD Results: There were 110 patients in Group 1 (men 36, mean age 60.5±10.9), and 111 patients in Group 2 (men 72, mean age 62.2±10.3). Patients were followed until the occurrence of at least 1 of the major clinical cardiovascular events. Seven cardiovascular events occurred in Group 1 (6.4%, 1.14 events per 100 patient-years), while 16 occurred in Group 2 (2.88 events per 100 patient-years). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a significantly higher probability of developing cardiovascular events in Group 2 than in Group 1. Conclusion: The present results demonstrated that the magnitude of FMD in the brachial artery was a good predictor of subsequent cardiovascular events.