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Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Assessment of Cardiac Morphological and Functional Changes in Mouse Model of Transverse Aortic Constriction by Echocardiographic Imaging
09:05

Assessment of Cardiac Morphological and Functional Changes in Mouse Model of Transverse Aortic Constriction by Echocardiographic Imaging

Published on: June 21, 2016

Embolic risk based on aortic atherosclerotic morphologic features and aortic spontaneous echocardiographic contrast

R S Finkelhor1, M E Youssefi, W E Lamont

  • 1Case Western Reserve University at MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44109, USA. rfinkelhor@metrohealth.org

American Heart Journal
|May 29, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Aortic atherosclerosis, particularly ulcerated or mobile plaques, increases embolic event risk. The combination of aortic atherosclerosis and spontaneous echocardiographic contrast (SEC) showed the highest association with embolic events.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Vascular Biology
  • Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

  • Aortic atherosclerotic plaque morphology influences embolic potential.
  • Spontaneous echocardiographic contrast (SEC) in the aorta is linked to increased embolic risk, often co-occurring with complex atherosclerosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the isolated and combined association of aortic atherosclerosis and SEC with embolic events.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of 105 patients aged >/=55 years undergoing transesophageal echocardiography.
  • Defined complex aortic atherosclerosis as mobile, ulcerated, or protuberant plaques (> 4 mm).
  • Defined SEC as a pulsatile, swirling echo pattern within the aortic lumen; embolic events included strokes, TIAs, or peripheral emboli.

Main Results:

  • Ulcerated or mobile plaques were associated with a higher prevalence of embolic events (OR 4.50).
  • Patients with complex atherosclerosis and concomitant SEC exhibited the highest embolic event rate (OR 9.00).
  • SEC alone or protuberant plaques alone did not significantly increase the event rate.

Conclusions:

  • Embolic events are associated with ulcerated or mobile aortic plaques.
  • The combination of aortic SEC and complex atherosclerosis demonstrated the strongest association with embolic events.
Abstract

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