Smooth Muscle Dysfunction in Patients Older than 54 Years of Age with Objective Evidence of Arteriosclerosis

The time courses of the brachial artery response to NTG in patients with atherosclerotic disease. The time courses showed a sigmoid curve. Only 2 patients reached maximal diameter within 4 minutes after administration. The figure shows the curves for only 55 cases because 2 cases refused to take the NTG tablets.

The time courses of the brachial artery response to NTG in control subjects. Control subjects also showed a sigmoid curve. The figure shows the curves of 16 cases because we failed to identify both of intimal interfaces at one to two points of measurements in 2 cases (Case 1 failed to identify NMD2 and NMD4. Case 2 failed NMD2).

Correlation between the flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD) and the NTG-mediated vasodilatation (NMD) in patients with atherosclerotic disease. FMD was directly and closely correlated with NMD (n=55).