Age-Related and Regional Changes of Aortic Stiffness in the Marfan Syndrome: Assessment With Velocity-Encoded MRI

Author(s):
Westenberg, J.J.M. (0000-0003-1946-1715); Scholte, A.J.H.A.; Vaskova, Z.; Geest, R.J. van der (0000-0002-9084-5597); Groenink, M.; Labadie, G.; Boogaard, P.J. van den; Radonic, T.; Hilhorst-Hofstee, Y.; Mulder, B.J.M.; Kroft, L.J.M.; Reiber, J.H.C. (0000-0002-0387-6417); Roos, A. de (0000-0001-5416-2644)
Published
2011
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

Abstract

Purpose: To study age-related change in aortic stiffness in patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS) versus healthy volunteers using velocity-encoded (VE) MRI. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five MFS patients (age range, 18-63 years; mean age 36 +/- 14 years, 13 men) and 25 age-/gender-matched healthy volunteers were examined with VE-MRI. Aortic stiffness was expressed by pulse wave velocity (PWV), assessed in the proximal and distal part of the aorta and in the total aorta. PWV was compared between patients and volunteers and age-relation was determined by linear regression. Results: PWV was significantly higher in all parts of the aorta in patients when compared with healthy volunteers (proximal aorta 5.7 +/- 1.5 m/s versus 4.8 +/- 0.9 m/s, distal aorta 6.4 +/- 2.4 m/s versus 5.0 +/- 1.2 m/s and total aorta 5.9 +/- 1.7 m/s versus 4.9 +/- 1.1 m/s, all P < 0.004). PWV correlated significantly with age (Pearson R between 0.45 and 0.94). Only in the proximal aorta, the increase in PWV with age was significantly higher in patients (7 +/- 2 cm/s increase with age) than in volunteers (3 +/- 1 cm/s Increase, P = 0.03); in the distal or total aorta, the increase in PWV with age was not different between patients and volunteers. Conclusion: Velocity-encoded MRI detects more pronounced age-related aortic stiffening in the proximal aorta in MFS patients versus healthy volunteers, suggesting more severe wall disease in MFS.

magnetic resonance imaging aortic stiffness Marfan syndrome elasticity aging pulse-wave velocity magnetic-resonance arterial stiffness sample-size distensibility dilatation flow reflection validation diameter
Date issued
2011-09-30
Language
English
Is part of
Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (2011), Vol. 34, no. 3, p. 526-531
hdl
1887/110854
doi
10.1002/jmri.22646