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MRI-based Determination of Reference Values of Thoracic Aortic Wall Thickness in a General Population

  • Magnetic Resonance
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Abstract

Objectives

To provide age- and sex-specific reference values for MRI-derived wall thickness of the ascending and descending aorta in the general population.

Materials and methods

Data of 753 subjects (311 females) aged 21-81 years were analysed. MRI was used to determine the aortic wall thickness (AWT). Equations for reference value calculation according to age were established for females and males.

Results

Median wall thickness of the ascending aorta was 1.46 mm (5th–95th range: 1.15–1.88 mm) for females and 1.56 mm (1.22-1.99 mm) for males. Median wall thickness of the descending aorta was 1.26 mm (0.97-1.58 mm) in females and 1.36 mm (1.04-1.75 mm) in males. While median and 5th and 95th percentiles for the ascending and descending aorta increased with age in both sexes, the association between age and median AWT was stronger in males than in females for both the ascending and descending aorta.

Conclusions

Reference values for the ascending and descending AWT are provided. In a healthy sample from the general population, the wall of the ascending aorta is thicker than the wall of the descending aorta, and both walls are thicker in males than females. The increase in wall thickness with age is greater in males.

Key Points

• Ascending aortic wall thickness is greater than descending aortic wall thickness.

• Ascending and descending aortic wall thickness is greater in males.

• Thoracic aortic wall thickness increases with age in both sexes.

• The age-related increase in aortic wall thickness is stronger in males.

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Acknowledgments

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Jens-Peter Kühn. The authors of this manuscript declare relationships with the following companies: the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research. This study has received funding from: the Community Medicine Research Net of the University of Greifswald, Siemens Healthcare, Federal State of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, and Bayer Healthcare.

SHIP is part of the Community Medicine Research Net of the University of Greifswald, Germany, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (01ZZ9603, 01ZZ0103, 01ZZ0403, 01ZZ0701, 03ZIK012), the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and the Social Ministry of the Federal State of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. Whole-body MR imaging was supported by a joint grant from Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany, and the Federal State of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. The University of Greifswald is a member of the ‘Center of Knowledge Interchange’ programme of Siemens AG. Contrast-enhanced MRI research is part of the entire whole-body MRI study and was supported by Bayer Healthcare.

Furthermore, this work is part of the Greifswald Approach to Individualized Medicine (GANI_MED) research project. The GANI_MED consortium is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the German Federal State of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (03IS2061A). This study was further supported by the DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research).

Roberto Lorbeer kindly provided statistical advice for this manuscript. The Community Medicine Research network of the University of Greifswald, Germany, covers several research projects that share data from the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP; http://ship.community-medicine.de). The contributions to data collection made by field workers, technicians, interviewers, and computer assistants are gratefully acknowledged.

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (patients) in this study. Methodology: prospective, cross-sectional study, performed at one institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Straße, 17475, Greifswald, Germany

    Birger Mensel, Alexander Quadrat, Tobias Schneider, Jens-Peter Kühn & Katrin Hegenscheid

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    Marcus Dörr

  3. Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    Henry Völzke & Roberto Lorbeer

  4. Institute of Epidemiology, Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany

    Wolfgang Lieb

  5. DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Greifswald, Germany

    Marcus Dörr & Henry Völzke

Authors
  1. Birger Mensel
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  2. Alexander Quadrat
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  3. Tobias Schneider
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  4. Jens-Peter Kühn
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  5. Marcus Dörr
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  6. Henry Völzke
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  7. Wolfgang Lieb
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  8. Katrin Hegenscheid
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  9. Roberto Lorbeer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Birger Mensel.

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Cite this article

Mensel, B., Quadrat, A., Schneider, T. et al. MRI-based Determination of Reference Values of Thoracic Aortic Wall Thickness in a General Population. Eur Radiol 24, 2038–2044 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-014-3188-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-014-3188-8

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