title: Association between the rotation and three-dimensional tortuosity of the proximal ascending aorta.
abstract: Age-related morphological changes of the aorta, including dilatation and elongation, have been reported. However, rotation has not been fully investigated. We focused on the rotation of the ascending aorta and investigated its relationship with tortuosity. One hundred and two consecutive patients who underwent computed tomography coronary angiography were studied. The angle at which the en face view of the volume-rendered image of the right coronary aortic sinus (RCS) was obtained without foreshortening was defined as the rotation index. It was defined as zero if the RCS was squarely visible in the frontal view, positive if it rotated clockwise toward the left anterior oblique (LAO) direction, and negative if it rotated counter-clockwise toward the right anterior oblique (RAO) direction. The tortuosity was evaluated by measuring the biplane tilt angles formed between the ascending aorta and the horizontal line. The mean rotation index, posterior tilt angle viewed from the RAO direction (αRAO ), and anterior tilt angle viewed from the LAO direction (αLAO ) were 4.8 ± 16.3, 60.7 ± 7.0°, and 63.6 ± 9.0°, respectively. Although no correlation was observed between the rotation index and the αLAO (β = -0.0761, P = 0.1651), there was a significant negative correlation between the rotation index and αRAO (β = -0.1810, P < 0.0001). In multivariate regression analysis, the rotation index was an independent predictor of the αRAO (β = -0.1274, P = 0.0008). Clockwise rotation of the proximal ascending aorta exacerbates the tortuosity by tilting the aorta toward the posterior direction.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Shumpei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Tomofumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takaya
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kinugasa
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takamine
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shigeru
authors.forename: Tatsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Sei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishii
authors.forename: Atsushi K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Kono
authors.forename: Ken-Ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirata
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001011:Aorta / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D001027:Aortography; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012399:Rotation; D012850:Sinus of Valsalva / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: ascending aorta; elongation; rotation; torsion; tortuosity