Aortic atherosclerotic lesions in the thoracic aorta detected by multiplane transesophageal echocardiography as a predictor of coronary artery disease in elderly patients

Abstract

The presence of atherosclerotic lesions in the thoracic aorta is a strong predictor of CAD only in patients < 70 years old. However, the negative predictive value of the method is high for all patients regardless of age.