Thrombus and calcium in aortic aneurysm necks: validation of a scoring system in a Dutch cohort study

This study was conducted to validate a proposed classification system on the characteristics of the abdominal aortic aneurysm neck. The cohort comprised 100 consecutive patients who underwent open or endovascular aneurysm repair. Aneurysm neck characteristics of diameter, calcium, thrombus, and angulation were reviewed. The presence of calcium at the aortic aneurysm wall was associated with lower body mass index. Thrombus was found in 52% of the patients. Hypertension was correlated with the presence of aortic wall thrombus. At the renal artery level, angulation was anterior in 56%, right lateral in 39%, and left lateral in 27%. At the origin of the aneurysm, angulation was posterior in 76%, right lateral in 46%, and left lateral in 42%. A wide variety in these characteristics was found. A scoring system allows comparison of patient characteristics in studies describing the clinical outcome of endovascular aneurysm repair and should be included in study reports.