Measurement of Thoracic Aorta in Adult Sudanese Using Computed Tomography

Abstract

The aorta is the main artery in the human body distributes oxygenated blood to all part of the body through the systemic circulation. The objectives of this study were to evaluate normal thoracic aorta diameter measurements in adult Sudanese using computed tomography and correlate to age. Computerize tomography scanning was performed in Royal scan for medical services, El- Feisal specialize hospital and Eltamaioz emergency center in Khartoum Sudan during the period from February to April 2016. The data were collected from 55 normal subjects. Patient's age, gender, ascending aorta diameter, and descending aorta diameter were recorded. The measurements were taken at reproducible anatomic landmarks perpendicular to axis of blood flow. Data were analyzed as mean and standard deviation (SD) for all of the variables. The correlations were significant at P < 0.05. The study revealed that the adult Sudanese thoracic aorta diameter was 35.11± 7.45 mm for ascending thoracic aorta and 23.96 ± 3.2 mm for descending thoracic aorta. The measurements were larger than international measurements. The study showed a significant relation between descending aortic diameter and age. Equation had been established to predict the Sudanese thoracic aorta diameter.