Abstract
Background: Evaluation of aortic stiffness by pulse wave velocity (PWV) across the adult lifespan is needed to better understand normal aging in women and men. Purpose: To characterize PWV in the thoracic aorta using 4D flow MRI in an age- and sex-stratified cohort of healthy adults. Study Type: Retrospective. Population: Ninety nine healthy participants (age: 46 ± 15 [19–79] years, 50% female), divided into young adults (<45 years) (N = 48), midlife (45–65 years) (N = 37), and later life (>65 years) (N = 14) groups. Field Strength/Sequence: 1.5 T or 3 T, 2D cine bSSFP, 4D flow MRI. Assessment: Cardiac functional parameters of end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume (SV) and myocardial mass were assessed by 2D cine bSSFP. PWV and aortic blood flow velocity were assessed by 4D flow MRI. Reproducibility of PWV was evaluated in a subset of nine participants. Statistical Tests: Analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient (r), linear regression, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: PWV increased significantly with age (young adults: 5.4 ± 0.9 m/sec, midlife: 7.2 ± 1.1 m/sec, and later life: 9.4 ± 1.8 m/sec) (r = 0.79, slope = 0.09 m/sec/year). PWV did not differ in women and men in entire sample (P = 0.40) or within age groups (young adults: P = 0.83, midlife: P = 0.17, and later life: P = 0.96). PWV was significantly correlated with EDV (r = −0.29), ESV (r = −0.23), SV (r = −0.28), myocardial mass (r = 0.21), and mean aortic blood flow velocity (r = −0.62). In the test–retest subgroup (N = 9), PWV was 6.7 ± 1.5 [4.4–9.3] m/sec and ICC = 0.75. Data Conclusion: 4D flow MRI quantified higher aortic PWV with age, by approximately 1 m/sec per decade, and significant differences between young adults, midlife and later life. Reproducibility analysis showed good test–retest agreement. Increased PWV was associated with decline in cardiac function and reduced aortic blood flow velocity. This study demonstrates the utility of 4D flow MRI-derived aortic PWV for studying aging. Evidence Level: 2. Technical Efficacy: Stage 2.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 464-473 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2022 |
Funding
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health—National Institute on Aging (NIA) (T32AG020506), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) (R21NS122511) and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (F30HL145995, R01HL133504, R01HL115828). Gilles Soulat received grant support from the French College of Radiology Teachers (CERF) and French Radiology Society (SFR). This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health—National Institute on Aging (NIA) (T32AG020506), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) (R21NS122511) and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (F30HL145995, R01HL133504, R01HL115828). Gilles Soulat received grant support from the French College of Radiology Teachers (CERF) and French Radiology Society (SFR). J.C. receives institutional research grants from Siemens, Bayer, and Guerbet, speaker honoraria from Bayer and is on the advisory boards of Siemens, Bayer, and Bracco. M.M. has disclosures for research support from Siemens Healthineers, a research grant with Circle Cardiovascular Imaging, consulting with Circle Cardiovascular Imaging and a research grant with Cryolife Inc.
Keywords
- 4D flow MRI
- age-related changes
- aortic stiffness
- global cardiac function
- hemodynamics
- phase-contrast MRI
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
