Diagnostic power of aortic elastic properties in young patients with Marfan syndrome
BACKGROUND: In patients with Marfan syndrome, progressive aortic dilation implicates a still-unpredictable risk of life-threatening aortic dissection and rupture. We sought to quantify aortic wall dysfunction noninvasively, determine the diagnostic power of various aortic parameters, and establish a diagnostic model for the early detection of aortic abnormalities associated with Marfan syndrome.
METHODS: In 19 patients with Marfan syndrome (age, 17.7 ± 9.5 years) and 19 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects, computerized ascending and abdominal aortic wall contour analysis with continuous determination of aortic diameters was performed out of transthoracic M-mode echocardiographic tracings. After simultaneous oscillometric blood pressure measurement, aortic elastic properties were determined automatically.
RESULTS: The following ascending aortic elastic parameters showed statistically significant differences between the Marfan group and the control group: (1) decreased aortic distensibility (P