The relationship between renal resistive index, arterial stiffness, and atherosclerotic burden: the link between macrocirculation and microcirculation.

The renal resistive index (RRI) measured by Doppler sonography is a marker of microvascular status that can be generalized to the whole of the arterial tree. Its association with large-vessel dysfunction, such as arterial stiffness or the atherosclerotic burden, can help to establish physiopathological associations between macrocirculation and microcirculation. The authors conducted a cross-sectional study of hypertensive patients (n=202) and a healthy control group (n=16).