Comparison of computed tomography and aortography in abdominal aortic aneurysms

In a prospectively designed study of 13 consecutive patients with proven abdominal aortic aneurysm, the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography (CT) was compared with aortography. Computed tomography was found to be a highly informative diagnostic test providing clear delineation of lesions and extent of aneurysm and its relationship to renal and iliac arteries. Furthermore one case of retroperitoneal fibrosis and one case of hydronephrosis were demonstrated by CT. The diagnosis of aneurysm by aortography was uncertain in six cases and in another three cases the relation of the aneurysm to the renal arteries was uncertain. Thus CT was found superior to aortography in examining patients for abdominal aortic aneurysm.