The measurement of the dimension of the human aortic ring using echocardiography: anatomical correlations and statistical investigation of 219 living subjects.

Using echocardiography, the dimensions of the aortic ring were measured in 219 healthy adults (103 men and 116 women; age range: 22 to 56 years). The mean diameter was determined to be 25 +/- 1.9 mm (26 +/- 2 in the men and 24 +/- 1.8 mm in the women). It was directly proportional to both body surface area (p < 0.01) and height (p < 0.01). The mean aortic ring diameter and the body surface area (BSA) could be related mathematically by the relationship: aortic ring diameter = 15 mm x BSA (m2); similarly, the relationship between the mean diameter of the aortic ring to height (h) could be expressed as: aortic ring diameter = 15 mm x h (m). Statistically significant correlations were not observed between the aortic ring dimensions and age, although the dimensions tended to increase with age. The mean values in men were found to be higher than those in women by a statistically significant margin. These results were compared with clinical and anatomical findings and with the classical anatomy textbook. This comparison revealed that our values were distinctly higher than those published in the textbooks. However, when compared with more recent clinical, surgical, and anatomical data, our results agreed fairly well. The discordance with classical measurements may have been due to differences in methodology or, more likely, to differences of weight and height in the populations studied.