This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Frazin, L. J. Articles by McPherson, D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Frazin, L. J. Articles by McPherson, D.

Circulation, Vol 82, 1985-1994, Copyright © 1990 by American Heart Association

ARTICLES

Functional chiral asymmetry in descending thoracic aorta

LJ Frazin, G Lanza, M Vonesh, F Khasho, C Spitzzeri, S McGee, D Mehlman, KB Chandran, J Talano and D McPherson
Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL 60611.

To determine whether rotational blood flow or chiral asymmetry exists in the human descending thoracic aorta, we established the ability of color Doppler ultrasound to detect rotational flow in a tornado tube model of a vortex descending fluid column. In a model of the human aortic arch with a pulse duplicator, color Doppler was then used to demonstrate that rotational flow occurs first in the transverse arch and then in the proximal descending thoracic aorta. With the use of color Doppler esophageal echocardiography, 53 patients (age range, 25- 78 years; mean age, 56.4 years) were prospectively examined for rotational flow in the descending thoracic aorta. At 10 cm superior to retro-left ventricular position, 22 of 38 patients (58%) revealed rotational flow with obvious diastolic counterclockwise rotation but less obvious systolic clockwise rotation. At 5 cm superior to retro- left ventricular position, 29 of 46 patients (63%) revealed rotational flow with a tendency toward systolic clockwise and diastolic counterclockwise rotation. At the retro-left ventricular position, 47 of 53 patients (89%) revealed rotational flow, usually of a clockwise direction, occurring in systole. Our data suggest that aortic flow is not purely pulsatile and axial but has a rotational component. Rotational flow begins in the aortic arch and is carried through to the descending thoracic aorta, where flow is chirally asymmetric with systolic clockwise and diastolic counterclockwise components. These data demonstrate an aortic rotational flow component that may have physiological implications for organ perfusion.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. A. Pybus Aortic atheromatous plaque instability associated with rotational aortic flow during cardiopulmonary bypass. Anesth. Analg., August 1, 2006; 103(2): 303 - 304. [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. A. Bockeria, A. J. Gorodkov, A. V. Dorofeev, M. D. Alshibaya, and the RESTORE Group Left ventricular geometry reconstruction in ischemic cardiomyopathy patients with predominantly hypokinetic left ventricle Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg., April 1, 2006; 29(Suppl_1): S251 - S258. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. J. Wentzel, R. Corti, Z. A. Fayad, P. Wisdom, F. Macaluso, M. O. Winkelman, V. Fuster, and J. J. Badimon Does shear stress modulate both plaque progression and regression in the thoracic aorta?: Human study using serial magnetic resonance imaging J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., March 15, 2005; 45(6): 846 - 854. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Tenenbaum, M. Motro, M. S. Feinberg, E. Schwammenthal, C. I. Stroh, Z. Vered, and E. Z. Fisman Retrograde Flow in the Thoracic Aorta in Patients With Systemic Emboli : A Transesophageal Echocardiographic Evaluation of Mobile Plaque Motion Chest, December 1, 2000; 118(6): 1703 - 1708. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]