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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Adolescent, Adult, Aorta, Aortic Diseases, Female, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Premature, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Maternal Behavior, Mothers, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Smoking.
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Are preterm birth and maternal smoking in pregnancy strong risk factors for aortic narrowing in adolescence? Context: Preterm transition from foetal to neonatal circulation might permanently alter aortic growth and development. To test this hypothesis, we measured aortic dimensions in adolescents born very preterm. Eighty-six healthy 15-year-old subjects were studied; 45 born very preterm at an average gestational age of 28 weeks (birth weight < 1500 g) and 41 controls born at term. Using a pulse-gated Fiesta sequence on a 1.5T MR-scanner, 25 images were collected within the heart cycle at several levels of the descending aorta. End-diastolic cross-sectional areas were semi-automatically calculated using an active contour model. Subjects born preterm had narrower aortic lumen. The difference was 16% in the thoracic and 19% in the abdominal aorta after adjustment for body surface area and gender (p < 0.001). Maternal smoking in pregnancy was also found to be an independent risk factor for aortic narrowing in the offspring (difference 10%-13% throughout the aorta vs. offspring to nonsmoking mothers). Adolescents born preterm had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures; however, blood pressures did not correlate with aortic size or maternal smoking during pregnancy.
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Very preterm birth and exposure to maternal smoking in foetal life are independent and strong risk factors for general aortic narrowing 15 years after birth. Final Decision: yes