Pulse wave velocity (PWV) provides a measure of arterial stiffness by quantifying the propagation velocity of the systolic pressure wave along the arterial wall. Prior studies have reported that PWV is elevated in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), and here we sought to determine whether the elevation in PWV is correlated with PAD disease severity as measured by the ankle-brachial index (ABI). No correlation was observed between ABI and PWV, suggesting that the systemic nature of atherosclerosis may be contributing to the increase in PWV more than the specific lesions that result in a reduction in ABI.
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