Abstract: Objective To evaluate E-Tracking technology in detecting early elasticity changes in the carotid ar- tery in essential hypertension（EH）patients.Methods Eighty-two cases of EH patients were categorized accord- ing to the finding of B-mode ultrasonography of carotid artery:abnormal carotid group（n=43）with intima-media thickning and/or with plaques in one or both sides;normal carotid group（n=39）;normal healthy subjects（n=50） were selected as controls.Echo-Tracking（E-T）technology was performed to follow the movement tracks of the common carotid arterial wall.Systolic diameter of common carotid artery（Ds）,diastolic diameter of common carot- id artery（Dd）,pressure-strain elastic modulus（E_ρ）,stiffness parameter（β）,arterial compliance（AC）,pulse wave conducting velocity（PWVβ）and augment index（AI）were determined by echo-tracking examination.Results The parameters showing in decreased elasticity of artery,Ep（abnormal carotid:219.2±60.5,normal carotid:140.6± 51.5 vs control:90.5±23.9,P＜0.01）,β（abnormal carotid:16.1±7.8,normal carotid:13.1±4.0 vs control: 8.3±3.0,P＜0.01）,PWVβ（abnormal carotid:8.38±1.13,normal carotid:7.14±0.92 vs control:5.94±0.65, P＜0.05）,AI（abnormal carotid:19.07±9.97,normal carotid:18.86±6.83 vs control:12.45±4.59,P＜0.01） were all increased,while dimension of carotid artery,as Ds（abnormal carotid:7.94±1.35,normal carotid:8.02± 1.28 vs control:7.50±1.20,P＜0.05）and Dd（abnormal carotid:7.63±1.19,normal carotid:7.60±1.22 vs control:7.01±1.01,P＜0.05）were increased concomitantly associated with lower AC（abnormal carotid:0.70± 0.17,normal carotid:0.74±0.26 vs control:0.88±0.22,P＜0.05）.Conclusion The elasticity of the carotid artery in EH was changed before the occurrence of intima-media thickning or plaques.The Echo-Tracking technol- ogy can be used to detect the early elasticity changes of arteriosclerosis.