Relationship between Echocardiographic and Magnetic Resonance Derived Measures of aortic root and ascending aorta in Turner’s syndrome

Abstract

Introduction: Turner syndrome (TS) is assigned to rare diseases group caused by a complete or partial loss of the second X chromosome (45, X0). Dilation of the ascending aorta is the most common acquired abnormality of TS patients. It has been proven that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a golden standard in the diagnosis of cardiovascular complications in TS patients. However, in most cases 2 dimensional echocardiography (2DEcho) is performed as reliable diagnostic test for a primary diagnosis of cardiovascular disorders. The aim: To compare dimensions of the aortic root and the ascending aorta measured by 2DEcho and MRI and to determine relation of these methods in diagnosing dilation of the aorta. Methods: In this cross sectional study we included all patients with genetically confirmed Turner syndrome followed up at the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, between 2014 and 2017. The sample consisted of 50 (n=50) TS patients. Maximal diameter of the sinuses of Valsalva (M1), diameter of the sinotubular junction (M2), and the proximal ascending aorta (M3) were measured by 2D Echo at an end-diastole. The size of the ascending aorta and the aortic root also was measured by MRI in different positions: in the aortic sinuses (D1), in the sinotubular junction (D2), in the ascending aorta at the bottom edge of the right pulmonary artery (D3), in the ascending aorta at the right proximal brachiocephalic artery (D4). In patients with TS, aortic dilatation is defined as ASI ≥ 20 mm/m². Results: 50 TS patients were enrolled into the study, mean age 29,7±8.2, range 18 - 60 years. Basic characteristics of the participants are mean weight 57,14±11,68 (32 – 81) kg, mean height 152,14±6,49 (137 – 169) kg and mean BMI 24,57±4,84 kg/m. ASI on echocardiography strongly correlated with ASI on MRI of the ascending aorta in all positions (Table1). The dimensions of aortic sinuses did not differ com. [...].