Short‐term effects of a standardized glucose load on region‐specific aortic pulse wave velocity assessed by MRI

Purpose To assess the short‐term effects of a standardized oral glucose load on regional aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) using two‐directional in‐plane velocity encoded MRI. Materials and Methods A randomized, controlled intervention was performed in 16 male subjects (mean ± standard deviation: age: 59 ± 7 years, body mass index: 28 ± 3 kg/m 2 ) with impaired fasting glucose. The intervention consisted of an oral glucose load (75 grams of carbohydrates in 300 mL water) at 1 study day and water (300 mL) at the other study day. PWV was measured using multislice two‐directional in‐plane velocity‐encoded MRI. Results PWV in the proximal aorta at 1 h post‐glucose load decreased compared with PWV 1‐h post‐water (delta PWV: −1.0 ± 2.6 m/s versus 0.6 ± 2.0 m/s, P  = 0.02). Eight responding subjects showed a significant decrease in PWV of the proximal aorta after the glucose load and had a decreased waist circumference ( P  = 0.037) compared with nonresponders, being one of the major criteria of the metabolic syndrome. There was no significant change in PWV of the distal aorta at 1 h post‐load comparing both intervention groups. Conclusion A standardized oral glucose load induces a decrease of the proximal, but not of the distal, aortic PWV. Regional response of aortic PWV may be associated with features of the metabolic syndrome. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;39:717–721 . © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.