Defining Laterality of the Descending Thoracic Aorta in a 4-Chamber View of the Heart

Abstract

Right descending aortas have been correlated with an increased risk of congenital heart disease. Nevertheless, the aortic position remains a largely overlooked diagnostic tool in second-trimester sonography because no formal system for assessing the position exists. By developing a method of assigning the position of the aorta relative to the thoracic midline, diagnostic use of the descending aorta's position might be implemented more easily. The method of assessing the position relative to the midline was tested by comparing the analysis of 2 independent observers, who showed a 94.4% concordance rate. Comparison of the percentages of aortic positions between the gestational ages (GAs) of 18 and 21 weeks showed no significant correlation between the aortic position and GA. We suggest simply paying attention to the aortic position in an already standard view. The extra effort is minimal, and it has the potential to improve the diagnostic accuracy of the 4-chamber view.