title: Sex-specific normalized reference values of heart and great vessel dimensions in cardiac CT angiography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Published cardiac CT angiography (CTA) reference measurements for the cardiac chambers, aorta, and pulmonary artery (PA) are incomplete and compromised by study population, coronary artery disease (CAD), or its risk factors. The purpose of our study was to establish sex-specific normalized ranges of cardiac chamber size, wall thickness, ejection fraction (EF), and aorta and PA diameter on cardiac CTA in a population without CAD or its risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-six patients (38 men and 38 women) without known diabetes; hypertension; smoking history; or evidence of structural heart, vascular, or coronary artery diseases underwent 64-MDCTA. Obtained left atrial (LA) size, left ventricular (LV) volumes, LV wall thickness, thoracic aorta, and PA diameter measurements were normalized to body surface area (BSA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were statistically significant differences noted between men and women for all measured left-sided heart and great vessel measurements. After normalization to BSA, only chamber dimensions and ascending aorta and left PA sizes remained significantly different. Selected normalized measurements for men versus women, respectively, include LA area, 10.6 ± 2.1 versus 12.3 ± 2.1 cm²/m²; LV end-diastolic size, 72.4 ± 15.1 versus 60.9 ± 13.3 mL/m²; EF, 67% ± 7% versus 72% ± 8%; aortic sinus, 1.6 ± 0.2 versus 1.7 ± 0.2 cm/m²; ascending aorta, 1.4 ± 0.2 versus 1.6 ± 0.2 cm/m²; descending aorta, 1.1 ± 0.1 versus 1.2 ± 0.1 cm/m²; main PA, 1.3 ± 0.1 versus 1.4 ± 0.1 cm/m²; right PA, 1.1 ± 0.1 versus 1.1 ± 0.2 cm/m²; and left PA, 1.0 ± 0.1 versus 1.1 ± 0.1 cm/m².
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiac CTA measurements of the left cardiac chambers, thoracic aorta, and pulmonary arteries were established for a population without CAD or its risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, 660 First Ave, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nevsky
authors.forename: Jill E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Ruth P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Donnino
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Babb
authors.forename: Monvadi B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Srichai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003287:Contrast Media; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007472:Iohexol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D007472:Iohexol; C038192:iopromide