title: Accuracy of transthoracic echocardiography in the assessment of proximal aortic diameter in hypertensive patients: comparison with cardiac magnetic resonance.
abstract: Accurate and reproducible measurements of proximal thoracic aorta diameters are essential in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with aortic dilatation, a condition particularly common in hypertensive patients.
  
  
  
  to evaluate the accuracy of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in comparison with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) for the assessment of proximal thoracic aorta diameters in a cohort of hypertensive patients.
  
  
  
  A total of 75 essential hypertensive outpatients previously evaluated by TTE and than by CMR were included in the study. We specifically compared the two techniques at the level of sinuses of Valsalva (SoV) and ascending aorta (Asc) diameter. For the TTE images, the inner edge-to-inner edge and leading edge-to-leading edge conventions were compared.
  
  
  
  TTE and CMR diameters were significantly related (SoV: r 0.931, P < 0.001; Asc: r 0.949, P < 0.001) when the leading edge-to-leading edge convention was used. Mean difference between CMR and TTE diameters was 2.49 ± 2.01 mm at the level of SoV and 1.13 ± 1.77 mm at the level of Asc. Correlation was good also for the TEE diameters measured by inner edge-to-inner edge convention (SoV: r 0.936, P < 0.001; Asc: r 0.947, P < 0.001). Comparing the two approaches in the evaluation of Asc, inner edge-to-inner edge showed a trend to a better correlation with CMR measurements than leading edge-to-leading edge, with a good interobserver and intraobserver agreement.
  
  
  
  The results of the current study suggest that TTE could be a reliable tool to assess proximal aorta diameters in hypertensive patients.
authors.affiliation: aDivision of Internal Medicine, Hypertension Unit, Department of Medical Sciences bDivision of Radiology 3, Department of Clinical Imaging, AO Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, University of Turin, Torino, Italy *Dario Leone and Francesco Tosello contributed equally to the article.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tosello
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Faletti
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schivazappa
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Avenatti
authors.forename: Agnese
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ravera
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Veglio
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milan
mesh_terms: D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012850:Sinus of Valsalva / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging