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Ultrasound Imaging of the Thoracic and Abdominal Aorta in Mice to Determine Aneurysm Dimensions
Published on: March 8, 2019
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Distribution, Determinants and Normal Reference Values of Aortic Arch Width: Thoracic Aortic Geometry in the
Saadia Qazi1,2,3,4, Philimon N Gona1,5, Rebecca M Musgrave1
1The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA.
American Heart Journal Plus : Cardiology Research and Practice
|February 6, 2023
Summary
Aortic arch width (AAW) increases with age and is linked to cardiovascular disease risk factors like higher blood pressure and smoking. High AAW is also associated with existing cardiovascular disease.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging and Diagnostics
- Vascular Biology and Disease
- Epidemiology and Public Health
Background:
- Aortic arch geometry, specifically aortic arch width (AAW), changes with age.
- Increased AAW is a known predictor of adverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) events.
- The distribution and determinants of high AAW remain largely unknown in community-dwelling adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and increased aortic arch width (AAW).
- To determine the distribution and determinants of AAW in a cohort of community-dwelling adults.
- To test the hypothesis that age and CVD risk factors are associated with increased AAW.
Main Methods:
- Utilized thoracic multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) on participants from the Framingham Offspring and Third Generation cohorts (N=3026).
- Established sex- and age-specific 90th percentile (P90) cut-points for AAW using a referent group free of clinical CVD and major risk factors.
- Employed multivariable logistic regression to identify clinical correlates of high AAW (≥referent P90).
Main Results:
- Aortic arch width (AAW) significantly increased with age in both sexes.
- Men exhibited greater AAW than women across all age groups.
- High AAW was associated with older age, larger body surface area, higher diastolic blood pressure, greater smoking history (pack-years), and prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Conclusions:
- Aortic arch width (AAW) increases with age, body size, diastolic blood pressure, and smoking burden.
- High AAW is associated with prevalent, clinically apparent cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- AAW is readily measurable from thoracic tomographic images and possesses prognostic value for cardiovascular events.
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