Comparative correlational analysis of thoracic aortic diameters in the presence and absence of arterial stiffness.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between thoracic aortic diameters in the presence and absence of arterial stiffness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analytical and cross-sectional study of a secondary database of patients evaluated using an arteriosclerosis detector and thoracic aorta tomography, performed from March 2018 to October 2019. The variables were: arterial stiffness according to the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and nine segments of the thoracic aorta. RESULTS: Eight hundred one patients without arterial stiffness were included. Correlation was high between the thoracic aortic diameters close to each other, decreasing to moderate correlations when compared with more distal segments of this blood vessel. Patients with arterial stiffness tended toward lower correlation between all segments of the thoracic aorta. Unlike patients without arterial stiffness, there was a weak correlation between the sinus of Valsalva and the sinotubular junction with the thoracic aorta in its abdominal portion at the origin of the celiac trunk (Rho = 0.344 and 0.387, respectively). Also, the correlation between the diaphragm aorta and the middle ascending aorta was moderate (Rho = 0.543), as well as between the abdominal aorta at its origin from the celiac trunk with the proximal aortic arches (Rho = 0.564), middle aorta (Rho = 0.551) and proximal one (Rho = 0.535). CONCLUSIONS: Vascular stiffness affects the correlation between the diameters of the segments of the thoracic aorta, mainly between the proximal and distal ones.