TY - JOUR
T1 - Aortic Size Assessment by Noncontrast Cardiac Computed Tomography
T2 - Normal Limits by Age, Gender, and Body Surface Area
AU - Wolak, Arik
AU - Gransar, Heidi
AU - Thomson, Louise E.J.
AU - Friedman, John D.
AU - Hachamovitch, Rory
AU - Gutstein, Ariel
AU - Shaw, Leslee J.
AU - Polk, Donna
AU - Wong, Nathan D.
AU - Saouaf, Rola
AU - Hayes, Sean W.
AU - Rozanski, Alan
AU - Slomka, Piotr J.
AU - Germano, Guido
AU - Berman, Daniel S.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported in part by a grant from The Eisner Foundation, Los Angeles, California. Drs. Wolak and Gutstein are fellows of Save a Heart Foundation, Los Angeles, California, and American Physicians Fellowship, Boston, Massachusetts. H. William Strauss, MD, acted as Guest Editor for this paper.
PY - 2008/3/1
Y1 - 2008/3/1
N2 - Objectives: To determine normal limits for ascending and descending thoracic aorta diameters in a large population of asymptomatic, low-risk adult subjects. Background: Assessment of aortic size is possible from gated noncontrast computed tomography (CT) scans obtained for coronary calcium measurements. However, normal limits for aortic size by these studies have yet to be defined. Methods: In 4,039 adult patients undergoing coronary artery calcium (CAC) scanning, systematic measurements of the ascending and descending thoracic aorta diameters were made at the level of the pulmonary artery bifurcation. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to detect risk factors independently associated with ascending and descending thoracic aorta diameter and exclude subjects with these parameters from the final analysis. The final analysis groups for ascending and descending thoracic aorta included 2,952 and 1,931 subjects, respectively. Subjects were then regrouped by gender, age, and body surface area (BSA) for ascending and descending aorta, separately, and for each group, the mean, standard deviation, and upper normal limit were calculated for aortic diameter as well as for the calculated cross-sectional aortic area. Also, linear regression models were used to create BSA versus aortic diameter nomograms by age groups, and a formula for calculating predicted aortic size by age, gender, and BSA was created. Results: Age, BSA, gender, and hypertension were directly associated with thoracic aorta dimensions. Additionally, diabetes was associated with ascending aorta diameter, and smoking was associated with descending aorta diameter. The mean diameters for the final analysis group were 33 ± 4 mm for the ascending and 24 ± 3 mm for the descending thoracic aorta, respectively. The corresponding upper limits of normal diameters were 41 and 30 mm, respectively. Conclusions: Normal limits of ascending and descending aortic dimensions by noncontrast gated cardiac CT have been defined by age, gender, and BSA in a large, low-risk population of subjects undergoing CAC scanning.
AB - Objectives: To determine normal limits for ascending and descending thoracic aorta diameters in a large population of asymptomatic, low-risk adult subjects. Background: Assessment of aortic size is possible from gated noncontrast computed tomography (CT) scans obtained for coronary calcium measurements. However, normal limits for aortic size by these studies have yet to be defined. Methods: In 4,039 adult patients undergoing coronary artery calcium (CAC) scanning, systematic measurements of the ascending and descending thoracic aorta diameters were made at the level of the pulmonary artery bifurcation. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to detect risk factors independently associated with ascending and descending thoracic aorta diameter and exclude subjects with these parameters from the final analysis. The final analysis groups for ascending and descending thoracic aorta included 2,952 and 1,931 subjects, respectively. Subjects were then regrouped by gender, age, and body surface area (BSA) for ascending and descending aorta, separately, and for each group, the mean, standard deviation, and upper normal limit were calculated for aortic diameter as well as for the calculated cross-sectional aortic area. Also, linear regression models were used to create BSA versus aortic diameter nomograms by age groups, and a formula for calculating predicted aortic size by age, gender, and BSA was created. Results: Age, BSA, gender, and hypertension were directly associated with thoracic aorta dimensions. Additionally, diabetes was associated with ascending aorta diameter, and smoking was associated with descending aorta diameter. The mean diameters for the final analysis group were 33 ± 4 mm for the ascending and 24 ± 3 mm for the descending thoracic aorta, respectively. The corresponding upper limits of normal diameters were 41 and 30 mm, respectively. Conclusions: Normal limits of ascending and descending aortic dimensions by noncontrast gated cardiac CT have been defined by age, gender, and BSA in a large, low-risk population of subjects undergoing CAC scanning.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=41449093351&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jcmg.2007.11.005
DO - 10.1016/j.jcmg.2007.11.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 19356429
AN - SCOPUS:41449093351
SN - 1936-878X
VL - 1
SP - 200
EP - 209
JO - JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging
JF - JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging
IS - 2
ER -
