Renal haemodynamics and severity of carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive patients with and without impaired renal function

摘要

Background and aim: Renal resistance index (RRI), assessed by Duplex-Doppler sonography, has been classically considered as a mere expression of intrarenal vascular resistance. Recent studies, however, have showed that RRI is also influenced by upstream factors, especially arterial compliance, confirming its possible role as a marker of systemic vascular alterations.