Contribution of the Blood Flow Evaluation by MRI in the Ascending Thoracic Aorta in Patients at Risk

Alain Lalande^1,2, Clotilde Billard-Philip², Marie Xavier¹, Olivier Bouchot^1,2, Eric Steinmetz², Alexandre Cochet¹, Paul Michael Walker^1,2, Jean-Eric Wolf^1,2, Franois Brunotte^1,2

Currently the evaluation of risk of rupture or dissection of the thoracic aorta is based on the aortic diameter, which is not a relevant parameter. To evaluate functional properties of the aorta, maximum blood flow velocity was evaluated in patients with well-classified diseases. 3D velocity imaging, acquired with velocity-encoded cine-MRI, and analysed with automatic post-processing allows the study of aortic blood flow. Compared with healthy subjects, the maximum blood flow velocity was higher for patients with bicuspid valve and lower for patients with the MYH11 mutation. There was no significant difference in patients with Marfan syndrome or annulo-aortic ectasia.