Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a key marker of aortic stiffness and cardiovascular risk, yet current methods typically offer only global or regional estimates and lack the possibility to measure local variations along the thoracic aorta. This study aimed to develop and evaluate
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Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a key marker of aortic stiffness and cardiovascular risk, yet current methods typically offer only global or regional estimates and lack the possibility to measure local variations along the thoracic aorta. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a pipeline for assessing local aortic PWV using the flow–area (QA) method (PWV
QA) by combining high-resolution 4D MRI techniques. A 3D cine balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) sequence was used to capture dynamic changes in aortic geometry, while 4D flow MRI measured time-resolved blood flow. The QA method was applied during the reflection-free early systolic phase. Scan–rescan reproducibility was assessed in six healthy volunteers, and feasibility was additionally explored in Marfan syndrome patients. The mean ± SD values of the Pearson correlation coefficients for per-slice maximum area, velocity, flow, and PWV
QA were 0.99 ± 0.00, 0.82 ± 0.11, 0.96 ± 0.01, and 0.20 ± 0.35, respectively. The median (Q1–Q3) average PWV
QA was 6.6 (5.4–9.4) m/s for scan 1 and 9.1 (6.7–11.3) m/s for scan 2 (
p = 0.16) in healthy volunteers and 7.1 (6.9–8.0) m/s in Marfan patients. Combining 4D bSSFP and 4D flow MRI is technically feasible, but the derived PWV
QA maps show high variability, particularly in the aortic root and descending aorta, requiring further optimization.
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