Angiographic determination of the size of the ascending aorta in congenital heart disease.

Abstract

The size of the aorta is considered to play an important role in the differential diagnosis of congenital heart disease. Conventional roentgenograms and fluoroscopic examination are helpful in ascertaining aortic size, but several conditions make their interpretation difficult. In infancy the size of the aorta cannot be estimated with certainty when the thymus is hypertrophied, a frequent occurrence. Mild dilatation of the ascending aorta is often missed on routine roentgenograms. Even when the esophagus is filled with barium to outline the aorta, the index of accuracy for evaluating its size is not high. Moreover, if a single telecardiogram is taken, the exposure may sometimes be made in diastole when the caliber of the vessel is less than in systole. When serial angiocardiograms are performed with very rapid film changers, however, the aorta is always outlined, not only in diastole but in systole, and even mild systolic dilatation of the ascending aorta may be detected. This paper is concerned with the ...