PhD Scientific Days 2023

Clinical Medicine - Posters A

Effect of Age, Sex, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors on the Geometric Characteristics of the Aortoiliac (AI) Segment

Text of the abstract

Introduction: Minimal literature is available on how age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors affect the geometric characteristics of the aortoiliac (AI) vascular segment.
Aim: To identify geometric variations in the AI region and analyze their association with age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors to inform future research.
Method: A retrospective study was performed in which abdominal and pelvic CTA/MRA images of 204 patients without AI disease were analyzed. Cardiovascular risk factors of these individuals were also assessed. The participants were divided into three groups according to age: young (0–29 years, n=55, 25 males), middle-aged (30–69 years, n=85, 53 males), and elderly (over 70 years, n=64, 44 males). The AI region was segmented to generate 3D models. An in-house written Python program based on the Vascular Modeling Toolkit was used to extract centerlines and topological analysis was conducted to obtain metrics related to aortic, common and external iliac artery (CIA and EIA) length, tortuosity, and curvature, and aortoiliac bifurcation angle. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, and Games-Howell tests.
Results: The impact of age on aortic, CIA, and EIA tortuosity was found to be significant, with a p-value of less than 0.001 for each. Furthermore, it was observed that the left CIA (p=0.010), right CIA (p=0.006), and left and right EIA (both p<0.001) tortuosity were significantly greater in males. Similarly, age was revealed to significantly affect the curvature of the aorta, CIA, and EIA (all p<0.001), with males showing significantly higher curvature values for both left and right EIA (both p<0.001). Hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus were positively correlated with the tortuosity and curvature of all aortoiliac segments, all with p-values less than 0.01. In addition, infrarenal aortic length and bifurcation angle were significantly lower in the young group (both p<0.001).
Conclusion: In the aortoiliac segment, tortuosity and elongation increase with age, and males are more affected. Among the cardiovascular risk factors, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus show the strongest correlation with the geometric characteristics of the AI region.
Funding: This study received no funding.