Background and aim: Aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) derived by use of applanation tonometry is a non-invasive method for assessment of arterial stiffness. Current methodology in aPWV assessment dictates ipsilateral measurements. However, the carotid arteries (CA) branch slightly differently from the aorta towards the right and left side of the neck. Theoretically, using right or left CA could influence aPWV results.

We aim to elucidate if use of the right or the left CA affects aPWV and to determine intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of aPWV in healthy subjects.

Methods: 50 healthy individuals without known cardio-vascular disease, aged 23–66 years, were examined twice by two different observers in a random order. The measurements were performed with the SphygmoCor© equipment using both the right and the left CA. In each subject, the same femoral artery was used in all measurements.

Results: with intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) are shown in Table 1 and 2. Use of the right CA gave significantly higher aPWV values than the left CA (both observers and pooled data). When comparing the two observers, we found a significant difference (0.3±0.8 m/s, p=0.02) in right CA derived aPWV values. There was no inter-observer difference in left CA derived aPWV values.

Conclusion: Using right or left CA affects aPWV. We strongly suggest using the same CA and the same femoral artery in repeated measurements. Inter-observer differences are important to consider when using aPWV and could be minimized by training and if possible by using the same observer.