title: Impact of age, sex, and indexation method on MR left ventricular reference values in the Framingham Heart Study offspring cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine normative values for left ventricular (LV) volumes, mass, concentricity, and ejection fraction (EF) and investigate associations between sex, age, and body size with LV parameters in community-dwelling adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  In all, 1794 Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort members underwent LV short-axis oriented, contiguous multislice cine steady-state free precession MR of the left ventricle; from these a healthy referent group (n = 852, 61 ± 9 years, 40% men) free of clinical cardiac disease and hypertension (SBP < 140, DBP < 90 mmHg, never used antihypertensive medication ≥30 years prior to scanning) was identified. Referent participants were stratified by sex and age group (≤55, 56-65, >65 years); LV parameters were indexed to measures of body size.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men have greater LV volumes and mass than women both before and after indexation to height, powers of height, and body surface area (P < 0.01 all), but indexation to fat-free mass yielded greater LV volume and mass in women. In both sexes, LV volumes and mass decrease with advancing age, although indexation attenuates this association. LVEF is greater in women than men (68 ± 5% vs. 66 ± 5%, P < 0.01) and increases with age in both sexes (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among nonhypertensive adults free of cardiac disease, men have greater LV volumes and mass with sex differences generally persisting after indexation to body size. LV volumes and mass tend to decrease with greater age in both sexes. Female sex and advanced age were both associated with greater LVEF. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;41:1038-1045. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Cardiovascular Division), Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Susan B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Yeon
authors.forename: Carol J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Salton
authors.forename: Philimon
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gona
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Blease
authors.forename: Yuchi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Connie W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Tsao
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Danias
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.forename: Warren J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Manning
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D001699:Biometry / Q000379:methods; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000592:standards*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013318:Stroke Volume; D014481:United States; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: aging; left ventricle; magnetic resonance imaging; population study; reference values; sex differences