New device for assessment of endothelial function: plethysmographic flow-mediated vasodilation (pFMD)

Measurement of flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) in the brachial artery by using ultrasound is a well-established technique for evaluating endothelial function. To make the measurement quicker and simpler than the measurements of conventional ultrasound FMD (uFMD), we have developed a new noninvasive method, plethysmographic FMD (pFMD), to assess vascular response to reactive hyperemia in the brachial artery. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of measurement of pFMD in comparison to that of measurement of conventional uFMD. This study was a multi-center, cross-sectional study. We compared pFMD by a new device using cuff pressure and volume with conventional uFMD using ultrasound in 50 men (mean age, 41 ± 9 years). pFMD significantly correlated with conventional uFMD (β = 0.59, P