| Abstract
| - In 38 consecutive patients the pulmonary autograft was used in aortic root replacement. Investigations were performed with transthoracic echocardiography, trans-oesophageal echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging in 31, 27 and 27 patients respectively. The mean age at operation was 28·7 years (range 19·0-52·0) and the follow-up period was 2·8 years (range 0·8-6·7). The pul-monary autograft diameter was measured at the subannular region (1), at the annulus at the hinge points of the valve leaflets (2), at the sinus (3), at the sino-tubular junction (4) and at the distal part of the autograft (5). With trans-oesophageal echocardiography the mean systolic measurements at levels 1 to 5 were 32, 31, 42, 35 and 34mm, respectively. The corresponding diastolic measurements were smaller: 25, 28, 42, 35 and 34mm respectively. There was no significant difference between transthoracic echo-cardiography and transoesophageal echocardiography measurements of the proximal autograft (levels 1-3). Diameters obtained with magnetic resonance imaging were 1 to 3mm larger than those obtained with transthoracic echocardiography and transoesophageal echocardiography (P<0·05), except the annulus at systole (P>0·3). Conclusions The mean pulmonary autograft diameters measured using transthoracic echocardiography, transoesophageal echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging were larger than native aortic and pulmonary diameters of a normal population in the same age group. Diameters of the distal 2 levels could not be imaged reliably with transthoracic echocardiography. Magnetic resonance imaging diameter measurements were, in general, larger than with echocardiography.
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