The Aortic Annulus, Sinus of Valsalva, Ascending Aorta and Z-score Values in Healthy Children

Özet

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate echocardiographically (and determine pathology if there is any) the diameters and Z-scores of aortic annulus, sinus of valsalva and ascending aorta in healthy children. Materials and Methods: This retrospective crosssectional study includes seventy patients with no important hemodynamically congenital heart disease. Forty-one of 0-18 (average 5.69) year old patients are boys (58.6%) and 29 are girls (41.4%). Patients’ height and weight values were assessed. Body surface area and Z-score values were calculated. Aortic annulus, sinus of valsalva and ascending aorta were measured on the parasternal long axis view. The indexed values were obtained by dividing all measured parameters by body surface area. Results: Average indexed aortic annulus value is 22.77 mm/m2; sinus of valsalva value is 30.51 mm/m2 and ascending aortic value is 28.30 mm/m2 in our study. Average aortic annulus value for nine patients whose Z-scores are >2 is 26.5 mm/m2 ; sinus of valsalva value is 38.24 mm/m2 and ascending aortic value is 34.94 mm/m2. Conclusion: In the present study, children aged between 0-18 years, mean aortic annulus, sinus of valsalva and ascending aorta, Z-scores and indexed values (aortic annulus/mm2, sinus of valsalva/m2, ascending aorta/m2) were determined. In this study including few patients, aortic dilatations have been observed in the measurements of six of 67 patients (8.9%) who visited for the first time and 9 of 70 patients in total (12%). It is remarkable that nonsyndromic newborn and infant patients who are thought to be healthy have also various levels of aortic dilatations even before they were diagnosed with aortopathy.