Key result
Various imaging techniques, including TEE, epiaortic ultrasound, CT, and MRI, offer distinct advantages and disadvantages for diagnosing thoracic aortic atherosclerosis to reduce embolization risk.
This review outlines the pros and cons of various imaging modalities for assessing thoracic aortic atherosclerosis to mitigate stroke risk during cardiac interventions.
The most severe complications after cardiac surgery are neurological complications including stroke which is often caused by emboli merging from atherosclerosis in the ascending aorta to the brain. Information about the thoracic aorta is crucial in reducing the embolization risk for both surgical open and closed chest procedures such as transaortic heart valve implantation. Several techniques are available to screen the ascending aorta, for example, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), epiaortic ultrasound, TEE A-view method, manual palpation, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. This paper provides a description of the advantages and disadvantages of these imaging techniques.
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Klomp et al. (2016) conducted a review in Thoracic Aortic Atherosclerosis. Imaging techniques (TEE, epiaortic ultrasound, CT, MRI) was evaluated. Various imaging techniques, including TEE, epiaortic ultrasound, CT, and MRI, offer distinct advantages and disadvantages for diagnosing thoracic aortic atherosclerosis to reduce embolization risk.
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