Endothelial functions: Translating theory into clinical application

Issue title: Selected Proceedings of the 15th Conference of the European Society for Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation (ESCHM), June 28–July 1, 2009, Pontresina, Switzerland

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Muxel, Selina | Fasola, Federica | Radmacher, Marie-Christine | Jabs, Alexander | Münzel, Thomas | Gori, Tommaso

Affiliations: Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center of Mainz, Mainz, Germany

Note: [] Corresponding author. E-mail: tommaso.gori@ukmainz.de

Abstract: The vascular endothelium plays a pivotal role in modulating endothelial homeostasis. A number of methods have been developed to assess the function of this important tissue in humans in vivo, in the hope that such data may contribute to the early diagnosis and risk stratification of patients at risk for, or with, cardiovascular disease. Despite these efforts, a number of issues, both practical and theoretical, arise from the attempt of quantifying the elusive “endothelial function”, and from the attempt of defining what is “endothelial dysfunction”. The present paper, based on a lecture held at the conference of the European Society of Hemorheology and Microcirculation, will try to deal with these issues.

Keywords: Endothelium, coronary artery disease, flow-mediated dilation, low-flow-mediated constriction

DOI: 10.3233/CH-2010-1288

Journal: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 45, no. 2-4, pp. 109-115, 2010