Four-D blood flow patterns in the thoracic aorta in patients with CAD compared to age-matched normal subjects

Cardiac gated three directional time resolved velocity data obtained with MR velocity encoded phase contrast sequences were used. Normal subjects of different ages were studied earlier. Age-matched normal subjects were compared with 15 patients with CAD. Systolic forward velocities were much more rapid in the normal subjects compared to the patients with CAD. Retrograde velocities were more rapid in the patients and particles took longer time to travel from the aortic valve to mid-descending aorta in patients compared with normal subjects. We believe that there is also a factor in the aorta that contributes to cardiac ischemia by allowing less blood flow into the coronary arteries.