title: Reference Values for Cardiac and Aortic Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Healthy, Young Caucasian Adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reference values for morphological and functional parameters of the cardiovascular system in early life are relevant since they may help to identify young adults who fall outside the physiological range of arterial and cardiac ageing. This study provides age and sex specific reference values for aortic wall characteristics, cardiac function parameters and aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) in a population-based sample of healthy, young adults using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 131 randomly selected healthy, young adults aged between 25 and 35 years (mean age 31.8 years, 63 men) of the general-population based Atherosclerosis-Monitoring-and-Biomarker-measurements-In-The-YOuNg (AMBITYON) study, descending thoracic aortic dimensions and wall thickness, thoracic aortic PWV and cardiac function parameters were measured using a 3.0T MR-system. Age and sex specific reference values were generated using dedicated software. Differences in reference values between two age groups (25-30 and 30-35 years) and both sexes were tested.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Aortic diameters and areas were higher in the older age group (all p<0.007). Moreover, aortic dimensions, left ventricular mass, left and right ventricular volumes and cardiac output were lower in women than in men (all p<0.001). For mean and maximum aortic wall thickness, left and right ejection fraction and aortic PWV we did not observe a significant age or sex effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides age and sex specific reference values for cardiovascular MR parameters in healthy, young Caucasian adults. These may aid in MR guided pre-clinical identification of young adults who fall outside the physiological range of arterial and cardiac ageing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anouk L M
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Eikendal
authors.affiliation: Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Michiel L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bots
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cees
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haaring
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saam
authors.affiliation: Division of Image Processing, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rob J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: van der Geest
authors.affiliation: Division of Image Processing, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jos J M
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Westenberg
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hester M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: den Ruijter
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Haematology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Imo E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Hoefer
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leiner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis / Q000379:methods; D012016:Reference Values