Impaired endothelium dependent vasodilation in present already in the initial stage of atherosclerotic process. Furthermore, endothelial dysfuncttion is a typical marker of the unstable (fragile) atherosclerotic plaque. According to some authors, measurement ot the endothelial response to vasodilatory stimuli may contribute to a better risk assessment of acute cardiovascular complications in primary as well as secondary prevention. In our department, we introduced the endothelium dependent vasodilation measurement carried out by Celermajer et al. This article presents our experience with this method after having examined 252 subjects. The lab equipment as well as the examination protocol is described below. The examination and the sonographic evaluation of the vasodilation measurement must be performed under strictly standard conditions. The limitation factors for the physician and for the patients are mentioned in detail. To our opinion, this method is not assessed for routine clinical use to evaluate the acute cardiovascular risk in one certain patient, due ti the variability of endothelium dependent vasodilation and somewhat demanding examination procedure. However, this measurement might be aseful for study purposes.

        Key words: endothelium - vasodilatation - atherosclerosis - duplex sonography.