backgroundStudiesshowedthatarterialelasticitychangesappearearlierthananystructuralchanges,therefore,itsaccurateevaluationcouldbeappliedatearlystagetopreventdisease.Echo-tracking(E-tracking)techniquecantrackthewallmotiontrajectoryinreal-time,calculatethechangeinvasculardiameterautomatically,andassessmentofvascularstiffnessandflexibilitydirectly.Thisarticleaimstoassessthechangeofelasticityofcarotidarteryafterhormonetherapy(HT)usingEcho-trackingtechnology.MethodsEcho-trackingwasusedtoevaluatethecarotidelasticmoduli,suchasthepressure-strainelasticmodulus(Eρ),stiffnessparameter(β),arterialcompliance(AC),pulsewaveconductingvelocity(PWVβ)andaugmentationindex(AI)byAlokaα10colorDopplerultrasounddiagnosissystem.ResultsEρ,βandPWVβinHTgroupweresignificantlylowerthanthoseinthecontrolgroup(P<0.01),whileACwasobviouslyhigherthanthecontrolgroup(P<0.01).E2wasnegativelyrelatedtoβ,EρandPWVβ(r=-0.607,r=-0.573,r=-0.574,P<0.001),whilepositivelyrelatedtoAC(r=0.574,P<0.001);endothelial-dependentdilatation(EDD)wasnegativelyrelatedtoβ,EρandPWVβ(r=-0.521,r=-0.411,r=-0.456,P<0.001),whilepositivelyrelatedtoAC(r=0.443,P<0.001);ButIMTwaspositivelyrelatedtoβ,EρandPWVβ(r=0.553,r=0.444,r=0.529,P<0.001),whilenegativelyrelatedtoAC(r=-0.400,P<0.001).ConclusionsArterialstiffnessincreasesandcompliancedecreasesinmenopausalwomen.AsEDDdecreasesarterialelasticityrecedes,andHTcanimprovearterialelasticity.E-trackingtechnologycandiscovertheearlychangesinarterialstiffnesseffectivelyanditismoresensitiveinfindingoutthechangesofstiffnessinearlyatherosclerosisthanIMTofcarotidartery.
