Multimodality Assessment of Thoracic Aortic Dimensions: Comparison of Computed Tomography Angiography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Echocardiography Measurements

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare thoracic aortic measurements between computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Materials and Methods: A total of 127 patients (mean age: 45±18 y, 49% male) who had undergone CT and MRI evaluation of the thoracic aorta at a single tertiary referral hospital within a 6-month interval between 2007 and 2017 were included in this retrospective study. TTE studies performed within the same 6-month interval were also evaluated. Thoracic aortic measurements were blindly evaluated using multiple techniques and were compared between modalities. Results: There was no significant difference in maximum aortic root diameter between CT and MRI when using the inner lumen-to-inner lumen technique (mean difference: 0.2±1.4 mm, P=0.51) or the outer lumen-to-outer lumen technique (mean difference: 0.5±1.4 mm, P=0.07). There were no significant differences between CT and MRI at any other level except for the distal descending aorta (20.2±4.6 vs. 19.8±4.6 mm, P
Source: Journal of Thoracic Imaging - Category: Radiology Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research