A Study on the Difference in the Diameter of the Thoracic Aorta according to the Use of Contrast Medium in Computed Tomography

Computed tomography imaging has become a recognized and widely used procedure for the evaluation of patients with aortic dissection, stenosis or aneurysm. In CT, an accurate assessment of the size of the aorta plays a key role in detecting the aneurysm and determining how to treat it. However, despite this pivotal role of CT, there is little data on how accurately a CT scan measures the size of the actual thoracic aorta. Specialists in the Department of Radiology have determined that if the diameter of the thoracic aorta is greater than 40 ㎜, there is a finding of thoracic aortic dilatation, but if these criteria differ from non-contrast CT and Contrast CT, the determination may be difficult, and research is needed. This study was to present the average value and difference in diameter measurement of the thoracic aorta in non-contrast and contrast multi-detection computed tomography images and to see how the value varies with gender, age, and vendor.