Premium
Association between the rotation and three‐dimensional tortuosity of the proximal ascending aorta
Author(s) -
Mori Shumpei,
Yamashita Tomoya,
Takaya Tomofumi,
Kinugasa Mitsuo,
Takamine Sachiko,
Shigeru Mayumi,
Ito Tatsuro,
Fujiwara Sei,
Nishii Tatsuya,
Kono Atsushi K.,
Hirata Kenichi
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
clinical anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1098-2353
pISSN - 0897-3806
DOI - 10.1002/ca.22452
Subject(s) - clockwise , medicine , rotation (mathematics) , ascending aorta , aorta , anatomy , tortuosity , tilt (camera) , geometry , cardiology , mathematics , geology , geotechnical engineering , porosity
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 ( α RAO ), and anterior tilt angle viewed from the LAO direction ( α LAO ) 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 α LAO ( β = −0.0761, P = 0.1651), there was a significant negative correlation between the rotation index and α RAO ( β = −0.1810, P < 0.0001). In multivariate regression analysis, the rotation index was an independent predictor of the α RAO ( β = −0.1274, P = 0.0008). Clockwise rotation of the proximal ascending aorta exacerbates the tortuosity by tilting the aorta toward the posterior direction. Clin. Anat. 27:1200–1211, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.