Measurement of the modulus of elasticity of the arterial wall

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of predicting the modulus of elasticity for arteries using measured pulse wave velocity and the Moens Korteweg equation. Although it is well known that pulse wave velocity is an indicator of arterial elasticity, direct comparisons have not been made to date. In this study, the accuracy of the Moens Korteweg equation was examined by comparing values of measured modulus of elasticity with moduli predicted from the equation. The correlation of the two moduli was 0.769 and 0.846 respectively, for the descending thoracic and abdominal aorta. These values are reasonable for biological systems, but point out the need for additional studies with elasticity data obtained from in vivo measurements rather than from in vitro measurements.