The aortic pulse wave velocity estimation for arterial stiffness assessment

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compile an aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) estimation system with signal processing algorithms for the arterial stiffness assessment. The phonocardiographic and piezoelectric signal processing algorithms were developed and the pulse transit times were calculated between the characteristic points of the signals. The distance of the arterial segment was measured above the skin surface for the PWV calculation and the correction model was constructed based on the image analysis of the whole body computer tomography. The system was tested and signals were recorded from 11 healthy subjects. Correlation (r=0.87) was found between the age and the PWV. The PWV values are comparable with the results from previous studies and the compiled system can be used for the aortic PWV estimation.