Three-Dimensional Understanding of Complexity of the Aortic Root Anatomy as the Basis of Routine Two-Dimensional Echocardiographic Measurements

BACKGROUND: Because the aortic root anatomy is too complicated to evaluate only with 2D methodology, precise appreciation of its 3D anatomy is a prerequisite for all cardiologists and cardiac surgeons.Methods and Results:We provide comprehensive image panels reconstructed from CT datasets to understand the complexity of the aortic root by focusing on the representative longitudinal sections cut through the central zone of coaptation. CONCLUSIONS: The provided images will accelerate profound understanding of the 2D long-axis image of the aortic root commonly interrogated with 2D echocardiography, as well as correlated clinical measured values, including the geometric height, effective height, and coaptation length.