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Ultrasound Assessment of Endothelial Vasomotor Function

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Diagnostics of Vascular Diseases

Abstract

The normal vascular endothelium regulates vasomotor tone, fibrinolysis, thrombosis, platelet adhesion, intimal growth, and leukocyte recruitment to the vascular wall. Disturbances of these endothelial functions have been suggested to be important mechanisms in both the pathogenesis and the clinical expression of coronary atherosclerosis. Among the many regulatory functions of the endothelium, release of nitric oxide, a potent vasodilator and platelet-inhibitor, has been the focus of a large number of studies. Over the past decade, nitric oxide-dependent vasodilation has emerged as a readily measurable and clinically relevant marker of more generalized endothelial function in patients. Studies of nitric oxide action have been performed in the coronary and peripheral circulations and have examined both conduit arteries and the microcirculation using a variety of invasive techniques. However, the requirement for intra-arterial infusion of nitric oxide-dependent agonists in such studies has placed limits on the number of subjects that can be studied and the number of studies that can be performed in each individual.

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Authors
  1. J. A. Vita
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  2. J. F. Keaney
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Kardiologische Gemeinschaftspraxis, Saalbaustraße 27, 64283, Darmstadt, Germany

    Peter Lanzer

  2. Department of Radiology, The University of Chicago Hospitals, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, 60637, Chicago, IL, USA

    Martin Lipton

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© 1997 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Vita, J.A., Keaney, J.F. (1997). Ultrasound Assessment of Endothelial Vasomotor Function. In: Lanzer, P., Lipton, M. (eds) Diagnostics of Vascular Diseases. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-60512-3_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-60512-3_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-64437-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-60512-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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