Early Evaluation of Carotid Elasticity by an Instantaneous Wave Intensity Technique in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

To explore the application of instantaneous wave intensity for early diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-induced atherosclerosis, we observed carotid elasticity by instantaneous wave intensity in premenopausal women with SLE.The study included 3 groups (each group with 30 participants): SLE1 (course of disease <5 years), SLE2 (course of disease ≥5 years) and healthy control. Carotid parameters, including instantaneous acceleration wave intensity, instantaneous deceleration wave intensity, negative area, stiffness constant, wave intensity pulse wave velocity, stiffness constant pulse wave velocity, pressure strain elastic modulus, arterial compliance, augmentation index, and intima-media thickness, were measured.Compared with the control group, the instantaneous deceleration wave intensity, stiffness constant, pressure strain elastic modulus, wave intensity pulse wave velocity, and stiffness constant pulse wave velocity were significantly increased but the arterial compliance was significantly decreased in the SLE1 and SLE2 groups (all P ≤ .01). The instantaneous acceleration wave intensity, augmentation index, and negative area tended to increase in all 3 groups, but there were no statistical differences among the groups. The instantaneous deceleration wave intensity, stiffness constant, pressure strain elastic modulus, wave intensity pulse wave velocity, and stiffness constant pulse wave velocity were significantly higher in the SLE2 group than the SLE1 group, but the arterial compliance was significantly lower in the SLE2 group than the SLE1 group (all P ≤ .01).Instantaneous wave intensity can be used to evaluate carotid elasticity in the patients with SLE, which is important for early prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.