Morphological Analysis of Healthy Aortic Arch.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Cardiovascular Anatomy
• Biomechanical Engineering

Background:

• Thoracic aorta morphology is crucial for cardiovascular health and endovascular interventions.
• Standardized protocols for arch morphology assessment are lacking.
• Understanding age and sex variations is vital for personalized medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a standardized protocol for thoracic aorta arch morphology analysis in a healthy population.
• To investigate the influence of age and sex on thoracic aorta arch morphology.
• To provide objective data for improving endovascular arch treatments.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of computed tomography (CT) imaging from 123 healthy subjects.
• Application of a standardized protocol using Matlab scripts to calculate morphometric and geometric parameters.
• Statistical analysis including Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney test, and regression analysis to assess age and sex effects.

Main Results:

• Significant age-related changes in aorta morphology, including expansion and heterogeneous stretching due to posterior arch elongation.
• Aging was associated with decreased tortuosity index (TI), increased assimilated curvature radius (CRi), and increased attachment zone angles.
• Sex-specific differences were observed: men had longer total arch length and higher CRarch, while women had lower zone 3 attachment angles.

Conclusions:

• A standardized protocol for thoracic aorta arch morphology has been successfully developed and applied.
• Objective evidence demonstrates significant age-related evolution and sex-related variations in thoracic aorta arch morphology.
• These findings are critical for optimizing endovascular treatment strategies for thoracic aorta pathologies.