Quantitative Imaging of the Aorta
摘要
Quantitative imaging is the cornerstone of management for various aortic pathologies, including aortic valvular disease, aortic aneurysm, and aortic dissection, with emerging applications in other pathologies. For valvular disease, echocardiography remains the primary modality, with numerous guidelines based on quantitative metrics derived from it. However, cross-sectional imaging is proving increasingly valuable for pre-operative planning, particularly with the development of minimally invasive techniques. Newer techniques, such as 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional imaging, hold promise for improved assessment of left ventricular function and valvular calcification, respectively. For aortic aneurysms, computed tomography (CT) and 2D MRI are used for reliable follow-up of aneurysm growth. However, MRI-derived hemodynamic, wall and molecular biomarkers are being extensively investigated for their potential to predict aneurysm growth. Similarly, for aortic dissection, maximal aortic diameter has the strongest evidence for predicting aneurysm growth, and research is exploring the roles of CT with computational fluid dynamics and 4D flow MRI in deriving metrics to predict dissection evolution. This chapter details the quantitative metrics used in clinical and research in evaluation of aortic pathologies.