Objectives: Vascular abnormalities are hallmarks of almost all systemic sclerosis patients. Impaired relaxation of the left ventricle is also characteristic for scleroderma heart disease. The aim of our study was to determine whether parameters of arterial stiffness correlate with echocardiographic indices of left ventricular relaxation impairment. Material: 21 patients with limited and diffuse scleroderma (18 women, mean age: 55±9 years) were studied. Methods: Parameters of local and systemic

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... rterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity: PWV; augmentation index: Aix) were determined by automatic brachial pulse wave analysis (Arteriograph®). The same parameters and elastic modulus (Ep), stiffness index (ß), arterial compliance (AC) were measured on left brachial and common carotid arteries by echo-tracking (Aloka ProSound 5500). Indices of diastolic function were also determined with the same ultrasound system: in addition to the conventional Doppler parameters of the transmitral flow -early (E) and late (A) diastolic velocities, deceleration time (DT), isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) -myocardial early (Ea) and late (Aa) diastolic velocities were measured at the lateral border of the mitral annulus using tissue Doppler imaging. E/A and E/Ea ratios were calculated. Simple associations between the variables were estimated by Pearson's method. Results: Carotid Ep showed significant correlations with both A (r=0.537, p<0.05) and E/A (r=-0.500, p<0.05) values, and correlated with IVRT also significantly (r=0.489, p<0.05). Carotid ß correlated with A (r=0.479, p<0.05), E/A (r=-0.548, p<0.05) and IVRT (r=0.564, p<0.01). Carotid AC correlated with A (r=-0.512, p<0.05), E/A (r=0.551, p<0.05) and IVRT values (r=-0.436, p<0.05). Carotid PWV and Aix showed similarly significant correlations with A, E/A, IVRT and with A and E/A values, respectively. Ep, ß and PWV determined by pulse-wave analysis and brachial artery echo-tracking did not correlate with the echocardiographic parameters of the left ventricular diastolic function. Brachial AC showed a significant correlation with A (r=-0.478, p<0.05) and DT (r=0.469, p<0.05). Significant correlation was found between Aix measured by pulse-wave analysis and Aa (r=0.560, p<0.05). Conclusion: Distensibility of elastic arteries correlates well with the echocardiographic indices of the left ventricular diastolic function, but stiffness of muscular type arteries is less useful to predict the degree of diastolic impairment. Selected parameters of arterial stiffness are good predictors of diastolic dysfunction in scleroderma patients ±.