Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026

An Approach to Point-Of-Care Ultrasound Evaluation of the Abdominal Aorta
Published on: September 8, 2023
Incidental abdominal aneurysms: a retrospective study of 13,115 patients who underwent a computed tomography scan
Hassan Al-Thani1, Ayman El-Menyar, Adel Shabana
11Department of Vascular Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
Abstract:
We evaluated the frequency and outcomes of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in Qatar. Data were collected retrospectively between 2004 and 2008 for all adult patients who underwent abdominal computed tomographic scanning for any reason. Patients with AAA were followed up for 3 years for aneurysmal rupture and mortality. Of the 13,115 patients screened, 61 (0.5%) patients had abdominal aneurysms. Most (82%) patients with AAA were male with mean age of 67 ± 12 years. The incidence of AAA substantially increased with age. Cardiovascular risk factors were prevalent among patients with AAA. The main location of AAA was infrarenal (67%), followed by thoracoabdominal (23%). The mean AAA diameter was 5.3 ± 2.5 cm. The rate of AAA rupture was 8% with a mortality rate of 60%; 80% of these were infrarenal, and 80% of them had a diameter of ≥5.5 cm. Overall mortality was 33%. This large study addressed the impact of screening for AAA in a population with high cardiovascular burden.
Related Concept Videos
Aneurysm II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Aneurysm III: Interprofessional Care
Imaging Studies III: Computed Tomography
Aneurysm I: Introduction
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System V: CT
Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
