Assessments of Arterial Stiffness and Endothelial Function Using Pulse Wave Analysis

Table 1

Comparison of noninvasive techniques for assessing endothelial function.

Technique	Equipment	Cost	Skill level	Test time	Validity	Reliability	Ref
PWA	Applanation tonometry	Medium; US$15,000	Low	35 mins	Medium*	Medium-high*; d = 0.9–2.3%	[6–9]
FMD	(i) Ultrasound; (ii) Tourniquet	High; >US$50,000	High	20 mins	High	Medium; CV: 14–50%	[10–16]
Plethysmography	Strain-gauge	Low; US$10,000	Med.	30 mins	Medium	Medium; CV: 8–27%	[17–20]

FMD: flow-mediated dilation; CV: coefficient of variation; d: sample bias (mean difference); PWA: pulse wave analysis. *Further study is needed to corroborate these findings.