Evaluation of Changes In Carotid Artery Elasticity And The Associated Risk Factors In Patients With Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease By Measuring Carotid Pulse Wave Velocity Using Ultrafast Ultrasound

Purpose: To evaluate the early changes in carotid artery elasticity in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by measuring carotid ultrafast pulse wave velocity (UFPWV). Methods: Data of 89 patients with NAFLD (observation group) and 155 healthy people (control group) were collected. The clinical and laboratory indices, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and PWV at the beginning of systole (PWV-BS), and the end of systole (PWV-ES) were compared and statistically analyzed. Results: Body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, IMT, PWV-BS, and PWV-ES in the NAFLD group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05), while the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, IMT, PWV-BS, and PWV-ES values increased with the increasing severity of NAFLD (P < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated that PWV-BS and PWV-ES were positively correlated with age, BMI, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), SBP, DBP, TC, TG, and LDL-C (P < 0.05), and negatively correlated with HDL-C (P < 0.05). Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the factors influencing PWV-BS included BMI, FPG, TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C (P < 0.05), whereas the factors influencing PWV-ES included BMI, FPG, SBP, TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C (P < 0.05). Conclusion: UFPWV measurement can detect the significant increase in PWV-BS and PWV-ES in patients with NAFLD. This can provide a theoretical basis for early intervention in carotid atherosclerosis.