Patent ID: 7131949

Claim:
An apparatus for assessing vascular endothelial function, comprising; an arterial occlusion apparatus for occluding arteries in a specified region in a living body for more than a predetermined time, a pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information measurement apparatus for measuring successively a first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information which is a pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information related to the velocity at which a pulse conducts through the artery in a first segment including a part or a whole of the specified region of said artery and the second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information which is a pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information of the artery in a second segment almost symmetric to said first segment with respect to the median plane, and comparative value calculating means for calculating a pre-ischemic comparative value representing a difference or ratio of said first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information to said second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information before ischemia by said arterial occlusion apparatus and also for calculating a post-ischemic comparative value representing a difference or ratio of said first pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information to said second pulse-wave-conduction-velocity-relating information after release from ischemia (arterial occlusion) by said arterial occlusion apparatus.