[Assessment of atherosclerotic lesions and distensibility of the thoracic aorta in familial hypercholesterolemia by biplane transesophageal echocardiography].

Atherosclerosis involving the thoracic aorta frequently occurs in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). In this study, we employed two-dimensional (2-D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE: 5 MHz) to assess atherosclerotic lesions of the thoracic aorta in 9 patients with FH (47.8 +/- 10.3 yrs) and 11 age-matched normal control subjects. Biplane TEE probe (i.e., transverse or sagittal scan transducer) was used to permit direct imaging of the distal half of the ascending aorta. The atherosclerotic lesions were classified based on the severity of the aortic wall sclerosis as intimal thickening (I.), atheromatous plaque, (II.) and calcification (III.). In all of the patients with FH, atherosclerotic lesions of grade I. or greater were observed particularly in the aortic arch and descending aorta, while, lesions more severe than grade I. in the thoracic aorta were not observed in any of the control subjects. In 6 FH patients (67%), atherosclerotic lesions more severe than grade II. were frequently observed, which were more frequent in the aortic arch and descending aorta than in the ascending aorta.