There are no data in the literature regarding aortic arch mechanics assessed with 2D speckle tracking (2D-ST) echocardiography.

Purpose: To study the feasibility of measuring vascular mechanics in the aortic arch with 2D-ST echocardiography and to define normal values.

Methods: We recruited 54 healthy volunteers and performed a complete echocardiographic exam. We included in the analysis a short axis view of the aortic arch, after the emergence of the brachiocephalic artery. The 2D-ST methodology was used to off-line calculate aortic arch mechanics (EchoPAQ, GE Healthcare®). The analysis was performed for circumferential aortic strain (CAS) and for early circumferential aortic strain rate (eCASR). We assessed the aortic pulse wave velocity (PVW) with the Complior®. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for normality assessment.

Results: We included 50 controls with a gender balance and a mean age of 33±9 years. Of the total 300 aortic wall segments, 278 had adequate waveforms for analysis. Global CAS had a normal distribution (p=0.20); the mean and median CAS were 11.3±3.2% and 11.5% (8.4 – 13.7) respectively. Global eCASR also had a normal distribution (p=0.10); the mean and median eCASR were 1.5±0.4 s-1 and 1.6 s-1 (1.3 – 1.7), respectively. There was a significant negative correlation between CAS, age (r=−0.46, p<0.01), pulse pressure (r=−0.40, p<0.01), PWV (r=−0.52, p=0.03) and the vascular augmentation index (r=−0.60, p=0.01). A similar association was identified for eCARS.

Conclusion: 2D-ST is a feasible methodology for the analysis of the aortic arch mechanics; in this study, we obtained reference values and normal distributions.