The inheritance of common carotid artery function assessed by pulsed wave spectral doppler and color velocity imaging.

The aim of the present study was to establish the contribution of genetic factors to the function of the common carotid artery in healthy, normotensive twins. Nine pairs of monozygotic (MZ) and 9 pairs of dizygotic (DZ) twins were studied (age 22.2±2.6 yrs, body mass index 21.4±2.1 kg/m2, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure mmHg, mean±SD). The common carotid artery function was assessed by Philips Ultrasound Platinum system. The measurements included: peak systolic velocity (SV), systolic/diastolic ratio (S/D), pulsatility index (PI) and acceleration slope (AS). Twin zygosity was determined using PCR method amplifying AMPFLPS and STR systems. The genetic variance was tested by the F-ratio of the within-pair mean squares of DZ and MZ twins. In conclusion, our data indicate that hereditary factors must be considered for the interpretation of functional characteristics of common carotid artery.