Table 2.
Aortic Dimensions, Strains, and Pulse Wave Velocities
| Variables | Women | Men | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| End‐diastolic length, mm | |||
| Ascending aorta | 79 (74, 87) | 86 (80, 93) | <0.001 |
| Aortic cusps | 18 (16, 20) | 20 (19, 22) | <0.001 |
| End‐diastolic diameter gradient | 0.23 (0.17, 0.29) | 0.20 (0.14, 0.27) | 0.015 |
| Displacement, mm | |||
| STJ | 6.7 (5.6, 8.1) | 5.8 (4.5, 7.0) | <0.001 |
| Annulus | 8.8 (7.3, 10.2) | 8.1 (6.8, 9.6) | 0.001 |
| Cusp length change, mm | 3.9 (2.9, 5.0) | 4.1 (3.1, 5.1) | 0.2 |
| Longitudinal strain, % | |||
| Ascending aorta | 8.5 (6.9, 10.3) | 6.7 (5.1, 8.2) | <0.001 |
| Aortic cusps | 22 (17, 32) | 21 (15, 26) | 0.017 |
| Aortic arch width, mm | 93 (86, 100) | 101 (92, 109) | <0.001 |
| Arch width change, mm | 0.4 (−0.5, 2.1) | 0.4 (−0.7, 2.1) | 0.7 |
| Circumferential area strain, % | |||
| Ascending aorta (through‐plane) | 8.1 (5.7, 10.9) | 7.9 (5.8, 10.4) | 0.3 |
| Ascending aorta (full correction) | 13.8 (11.1, 18.2) | 12.7 (10.4, 15.7) | 0.010 |
| Descending aorta | 13.7 (9.8, 18.1) | 12.2 (9.7, 15.8) | 0.005 |
| Bramwell–Hill pulse wave velocity, m/s | |||
| Ascending aorta (through‐plane) | 11.1 (9.2, 13.3) | 10.5 (8.9, 12.6) | 0.1 |
| Ascending aorta (full correction) | 8.3 (7.1, 9.8) | 8.1 (7.2, 9.3) | 0.4 |
| Descending aorta | 8.6 (7.1, 10.2) | 8.4 (7.3, 9.9) | 0.9 |
All displacements, changes in length, and strains represent maximum minus minimum values with the exception of aortic arch width change, which is the change between end‐diastole and time of STJ max displacement. Aortic arch width represents the end‐diastolic value. Through‐plane refers to through‐plane correction of circumferential area. Full correction refers to through‐plane and longitudinal strain correction of circumferential area. Values represent median (25th, 75th percentiles). Sex comparisons were performed using an independent‐samples t test with sex as the grouping variable. STJ indicates sinotubular junction.