Deep Learning-Based Estimation of Arterial Stiffness from PPG Spectrograms: A Novel Approach for Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Diagnostics.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), a leading cause of global mortality, are intricately linked to arterial stiffness, a key factor in cardiovascular health. Non-invasive assessment of arterial stiffness, particularly through Carotid-to-femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (cf-PWV) - the gold standard in this field - is vital for early detection and management of CVDs. This study introduces a novel approach, utilizing photoplethysmogram (PPG) signal spectrograms as inputs for deep learning models to estimate cf-PWV, a significant advancement over traditional methods.