[Wall elasticity of the ascending aorta in ischemic heart disease]. / Elasticità parietale dell'aorta ascendente nella cardiopatia ischemica.

ABSTRACT

M-mode echocardiography was used to examine in male subjects the physical properties of the ascending aorta, 3 cm above the valvular plane. Subjects were divided into three groups based on age, lifestyle and presence or absence of vascular disease Group A (10 recruited military young men, age 20.87 +/- 0.834 years) in good health; Group B (14 senior competitive athletes, age 49.92 +/- 8.17 years); Group C (10 patients with effort-angina, age 53.1 +/- 11.18 years). We observed that the inner diastolic diameter of the ascending aorta was different between Group A and B (p < 0.001) and between Group A and C (p < 0.001), and it increased with aging (r = 0.7) whereas no relationship to body surface was seen (r = 0.3); the elasticity-stiffness parameters (aortic wall distensibility, aortic wall stress, wall stiffness index, wall elasticity index and modulus) of major vessels in senior athletes (Group B), were not different (p > 0.05) from military young men (Group A), although they were significantly lower (p < 0.001) in Group C patients; wall elasticity was lower in Group C patients (versus both Group A and B). Altered compliance might be the consequence of vessel structural changes and may contribute to reduce blood flow to the coronary arteries. Our data suggest that sports activity has beneficial effects; physical characteristics of great vessels do not show age-related changes.