Vlachopoulos C, et al. - In a randomized, assessor-blinded, parallel-group trial, researchers examined 117 patients to compare the acute and midterm impact of ticagrelor vs clopidogrel on aortic stiffness. In patients (n=58) randomized (1:1) to receive a loading dose of clopidogrel (600 mg) or ticagrelor (180 mg), the acute influence of ticagrelor was analyzed. In subjects (n=59) who had percutaneous coronary intervention and were randomized to either clopidogrel (75 mg, OD) or ticagrelor (90 mg BID), the midterm impact (30-day treatment period) was determined. Findings revealed attenuation of carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity for 24 hours following the loading dose and at 1 month after percutaneous coronary intervention in relation to ticagrelor treatment as compared to clopidogrel. With respect to the beneficial influence of ticagrelor, this finding may have clinical implications, considering that cardiovascular events are independently predicted by aortic stiffness.