Fig. 4

Measuring aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV). A Free breathing gradient echo phase contrast cine of the ascending aorta at the level of the pulmonary artery bifurcation. B Aortic ‘candy cane’ used to pilot the aortic flow. Points 4 and 12 are highlighted to show the linear plane used for transection and for measuring 3D distance using our dedicated software. C Flow wave curves of both the ascending and descending aorta after normalization for peak flow which are used to measure the transit time. D PWV (m/s) is then calculated as 3D distance divided by transit time. 3D, 3-dimensional; PWV, pulse wave velocity