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Abdominal aortic aneurysm. Incidence in a hospital population at risk
1FHP Health Care, LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT.
Insights
This study examined 100 older male patients for abdominal aortic aneurysms using ultrasound. Eleven aneurysms were detected, with two large ones found in taller individuals, suggesting a potential link between height and aneurysm size.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Surgery
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are a significant vascular condition.
- Previous incidence studies often focus on specific patient cohorts.
- The co-occurrence of AAA with other intra-abdominal pathologies requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysms in a selected group of male patients.
- To investigate potential correlations between patient height and AAA incidence.
- To document other intra-abdominal abnormalities detected during screening.
Main Methods:
- Abdominal ultrasonography was performed on 100 male patients over 60 years old and taller than 170 cm.
- Patients were stratified by height into 5-cm increments for analysis.
- Incidence rates of AAA and other intra-abdominal diseases were recorded.
Main Results:
- Eleven abdominal aortic aneurysms were identified among the 100 patients.
- Two large aneurysms (>4.5 cm) were found in patients taller than 180 cm.
- Other common findings included gallbladder disease (22%) and renal disease (20%).
Conclusions:
- The study identified a notable incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysms in the screened population.
- A potential association between greater height and larger AAA size warrants further research.
- Ultrasonography can effectively detect AAA and other intra-abdominal conditions concurrently.
Abstract:
The incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysms has been studied in various selected patient groups. In this study, 100 male patients on a cardiology service who were older than 60 years and over 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) tall were examined by abdominal ultrasonograms. A total of 11 aneurysms were found, 2 of which were more than 4.5 cm in diameter. Other abnormalities that were found included renal disease in 20 patients (1 carcinoma treated with a curative nephrectomy), gallbladder disease in 22 patients, and miscellaneous intra-abdominal disease in 6 patients; 47 patients had no abnormalities found. The aneurysms of these patients were classified by a patient's height in 5-cm (2-in) increments. No significant difference in the incidence of aneurysms was found within the groups, but these groups are small and a significant difference would not be expected. It is of interest that the two large aneurysms were in persons taller than 180 cm (5 ft 11 in). Previous ultrasonographic studies of aneurysmal incidence have not reported other intra-abdominal disease.