Erektil fonksiyon bozukluǧu olan hastalarda aortun elastik özellikleri: Konvansiyonel ve renkli doku Doppler ekokardiyografiyle deǧerlendirme

Objectives: It has been suggested that erectile dysfunction (ED) may be the first clinical reflection of vascular disease. We investigated the stiffness and elastic properties of the aorta by conventional and color tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) in patients with ED of vascular origin. Study design: Thirty male patients with ED (mean age 52±8 years; range 41 to 73 years) were studied. Systolic and diastolic aortic diameters were measured by M-mode echocardiography to asses elastic properties of the aorta. Tissue Doppler velocities (S, E, and A cm/sec) of the upper and inferior aortic wall were measured by color TDE. Aortic strain and elasticity, and aortic stiffness index (ASI) were calculated. The results were compared with those of 30 healthy male controls (mean age 49 years). Results: Systolic and diastolic pressures and aortic systolic and diastolic diameters differed significantly between the two groups (p=0.001, p=0.034, p=0.045, p=0.004, respectively). Compared to controls, ASI was significantly higher (p=0.007), and aortic strain (p=0.002) and S wave velocity of the upper wall (p=0.001) were significantly lower in patients with ED. Significant correlations were found between S wave velocity of the upper wall with ASI (r=-0.389, p=0.004), aortic strain (r=0.444, p=0.001) and elasticity (r=0.504, p