title: Assessment of the aortic root using real-time 3D transesophageal echocardiography.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Precise evaluation of the aortic root geometry prior to transcatheter aortic valve implantation is important for procedural success in patients with aortic stenosis (AS). To determine the potential for 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE), the aims of the present study were: (1) to assess the accuracy of 3DTEE measurements of the aortic root using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) as a reference, and (2) to examine whether aortic root geometry differs between patients with and without AS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  3DTEE and contrast-enhanced MDCT were performed in 35 patients. Multiplanar reconstruction was used to measure the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) and aortic annulus diameter/area, aortic valve area (AVA), and distances between the annulus and coronary artery ostium. The same 3DTEE measurements were performed in patients with (n=71) and without AS (n=80). Aortic annular and LVOT areas measured by 3DTEE were slightly but significantly smaller compared with values obtained with MDCT. Both methods revealed that the aortic annulus and LVOT have an oval shape. Aortic annular and LVOT area, AVA and the distances between the aortic annulus and the coronary ostia correlated well between the 2 modalities. Only minor differences in aortic root geometry were observed between patients with AS and those without.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The geometry of the aortic annulus can be reliably evaluated using 3DTEE as an alternative to MDCT for the assessment of aortic root.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Kitakyushu, Japan.
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Otani
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaku
authors.forename: Lissa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sugeng
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshitani
authors.forename: Nobuhiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Haruki
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mor-Avi
authors.forename: Roberto M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Otsuji
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000473:pathology*; D001027:Aortography; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*