Inter-rater reliability
In the subset of 10 patients used to evaluate inter-rater reliability, most aortic measurements were found to have acceptable to excellent inter-rater reliability, including average aortic diameter at PAB (ICC=0.74, 95% CI: 0.42–0.92, P <0.001), max aortic diameter at PAB (ICC=0.93, 95% CI: 0.70–0.99,P <0.001), average aortic diameter at STJ (ICC=0.75, 95% CI: 0.46–0.92, P <0.001), and max aortic diameter at STJ (ICC=0.71, 95% CI: 0.49–0.93, P <0.001). Although the inter-rater reliability was low for tortuosity (ICC=0.36, 95% CI: -0.001–0.75, P =0.029), this measurement had reduced variability, which can greatly impact these ICC analyses.
COMMENT
Ascending aortic length was significantly higher among patients who presented with ATAAD. However, more than 80% of patients who presented with ATAAD in this cohort had an aortic diameter less than the cut-off value for an elective ascending aortic replacement. Assessment of ascending aortic length may be valuable as a predictive marker for aortic events.