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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

Atherosclerosis of the descending aorta predicts cardiovascular events: a transesophageal echocardiography study

Albert Varga1, Noemi Gruber, Tamás Forster

  • 12nd Department of Medicine and Cardiology Center, University of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary. vargaa@in2nd.szote.u-szged.hu

Cardiovascular Ultrasound
|October 27, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) can detect atherosclerosis in the descending aorta, a significant predictor of future cardiovascular events. This finding highlights TEE

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Atherosclerosis of the descending aorta detected by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a known marker for coronary artery disease.
  • The prognostic value of descending aorta atherosclerosis in predicting cardiovascular events requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if the presence and severity of descending aorta atherosclerosis, identified via TEE, impacts the prediction of cardiovascular events.
  • To assess the prognostic significance of TEE-detected descending aorta atherosclerosis.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 238 in-hospital patients undergoing TEE were assessed for descending aorta atherosclerosis.
  • Atherosclerotic lesions were graded from 0 (none) to 3 (severe plaque).
  • Patients were followed for 24 months to record cardiovascular events.

Main Results:

  • Atherosclerosis was present in 102 patients (43%), with higher cardiovascular event rates (34 events) compared to those without atherosclerosis (23 events).
  • A significant correlation was observed between the severity of atherosclerosis and the frequency of cardiovascular events.
  • Multivariate analysis identified TEE atherosclerotic plaque grade ≥2 (HR 2.4) and left ventricular ejection fraction <40% (HR 3.0) as independent predictors of hard cardiovascular events.

Conclusions:

  • Descending aorta atherosclerosis detected by TEE is a valuable independent predictor of cardiovascular events.
  • TEE imaging provides prognostic information beyond its diagnostic capabilities for cardiac structures.
Abstract

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