Fig. 4

Correlation of aortic wall thickness with age. Left: 3D bright blood T1 weighted CMR of the descending aorta (DAo) demonstrates predominantly calcified and ca. 4.5 mm thick plaques (yellow and orange arrows) in a 78-year-old male. Right: Increase of maximum plaque thickness in the ascending aorta (AAo), aortic arch (AArch) and DAo with increasing age. Plaques ≥4 mm (i.e. complex plaques) were only found in subjects ≥50 years of age