Assessment of pulse wave velocity

Measurement of pulse wave velocity is of increasing importance for assessment of arterial stiffness and risk evaluation. Different techniques are available, based either on pressure, distension or Doppler waveforms. Techniques not only differ by the algorithm used to identify specific part of the pulse signal, but also in the preferred way to measure distance between sites. The merits of each technique are described, and a brief overlook of the marketed devices to measure pulse wave velocity is given. © 2008 Association for Research into Arterial Structure and Physiology.