Gender differences in morphometric characteristics of the heart and aorta according to transthoracic echocardiography data

This study is devoted to identifying the morphometric characteristics of the heart and various parts of the aorta in adult males and females, as well as assessing correlations between the obtained parameters. The analysis was conducted using echocardiographic medical records from 98 patients (aged 20–76 years, both sexes) who presented to the Republican Scientific and Practical Center “Cardiology” and exhibited minimal structural and functional abnormalities. The investigation focused on morphometric indices of the heart and the aorta. Sex-based differences were identified in aortic valve annulus diameter, aortic diameter at the valve level, aortic arch diameter, left ventricular myocardial mass, left ventricular outflow tract diameter, anteroposterior dimension of the right ventricle, and right ventricular size in the four-chamber view. Statistically significant correlations were found between patient age and diameters of both the ascending and descending aorta, as well as between body surface area and left ventricular myocardial mass. Additional associations were observed between the thickness of the posterior wall of the left ventricle and aortic diameters at the valve level, the ascending aorta, and the aortic arch. The thickness of the interventricular septum was also correlated with right ventricular dimensions. A direct relationship was established between the left ventricular myocardial mass and the diameter of the left ventricular outflow tract. It was found that the heart size is directly proportional to the body surface area, while the aortic diameter is more strongly associated with age. The left ventricular myocardial mass positively correlates with both the diameter of the outflow tract and the aorta. Overall, the strength of the correlations between cardiac morphometric parameters and proximal aortic dimensions was greater in men than in women. The results contribute to existing scientific knowledge about morphometric features of the heart and the aorta and their interrelations in adult individuals of both sexes, and can be applied by clinical specialists in routine medical practice.

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