OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between Renying pulse (carotid) augmentation index (AI) and Cunkou pulse condition in different blood pressure groups, and the clinical significance of Renying and Cunkou pulse parameters to reflect vascular function.METHODS:Eighty-sixpatients with essential hypertension (EH) and 52 individuals with normal blood pressure(control group) between September 2010 and January 2012 were included in thisstudy.Renying pulse AI was examined by a new diagnostic tool(ALOKA ProSound Alpha 10) — wave intensity (WI) that is calculated as the product of the derivatives of the simultaneously recorded blood pressure changes(dP/dt) and blood-flow-velocity changes(dU/dt), while Cunkou pulse condition was detected by DDMX-100 Pulse Apparatus inboth EH and control groups. A multifactorial correlation analysis was performed for data analysis.RESULTS: After adjustingfor potentialconfoundingvariables,intheEHgroup,AIwaspositivelycorrelated with t5, w2/t(rt5=0.225, P