On-Site PhD conferral mr. Bouke P. Adriaans
Supervisors: Prof.dr. J.E. Wildberger, Prof.dr. H.J.G.M. Crijns
Co-supervisor: Dr. S.M. Schalla
Key words: aorta, acute aortic syndrome, aortic dissection, aortic stenosis, cardiovascular imaging
"Advanced Imaging of the aortic valve and thoracic aorta. Moving beyond diameters"
The aorta is the largest artery in the human body and transports blood from the heart to all organs and tissues. Given its pivotal function, any disease of the aorta confers risk for life-threatening complications. Approximately 200.000 patients in the Netherlands have been diagnosed with an aneurysm (i.e., dilatation) of the aorta. They are at risk for developing an acute aortic syndrome (such as dissection or rupture). To prevent these, prevailing guidelines recommend referral for preventive surgical aortic repair once the maximal diameter exceeds 55 mm. However, this thesis demonstrates that the added value of the maximal aortic diameter for prediction of acute aortic syndromes is limited. Furthermore, using state-of-the-art CT and MRI, the research has shown that novel imaging markers (such as aortic length) are up to seven times as sensitive as the maximal diameter.
