Discrepancies in Measurement of the Thoracic Aorta: JACC Review Topic of the Week

Clinicians often encounter discrepant measurements of the ascending aorta that impede, complicate, and impair appropriate clinical assessment-including key issues of presence or absence of aortic growth, rate of growth, and need for surgical intervention. These discrepancies may arise within a singl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2020-07, Vol.76 (2), p.201-217
Main Authors: Elefteriades, John A, Mukherjee, Sandip K, Mojibian, Hamid
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aneurysm, Dissecting - diagnosis
Aorta, Thoracic - diagnostic imaging
Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic - diagnosis
Cardiology
Echocardiography - methods
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine - methods
Periodicals as Topic
Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods
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Summary:Clinicians often encounter discrepant measurements of the ascending aorta that impede, complicate, and impair appropriate clinical assessment-including key issues of presence or absence of aortic growth, rate of growth, and need for surgical intervention. These discrepancies may arise within a single modality (computed tomography scan, magnetic resonance imaging, or echocardiography) or between modalities. The authors explore the origins and significance of these discrepancies, revealing that some "truth" usually underlies all the discrepant measurements, which individually look at the ascending aorta with different perspectives and dimensional definitions. The authors conclude with a practical "question and answer" section that addresses common specific issues in interpretation and management of patients in the real-world setting.
ISSN:1558-3597
DOI:10.1016/j.jacc.2020.03.084