Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm during transthoracic echocardiography in a hypertensive patient population

This study was undertaken to determine the utility of transthoracic echocardiography as a screening test for occult abdominal aortic aneurysm in hypertensive patients older than 50 years of age. Longitudinal and transverse images of the abdominal aorta were obtained during the subcostal portion of the transthoracic echocardiogram. Abdominal aortic aneurysm was defined as an abdominal aortic dimension (antero-posterior or lateral) > or = 3.0 cm. Exclusion criteria included prior abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, known abdominal aortic aneurysm, or inadequate images of the abdominal aorta (nine patients). Two hundred patients (107 men, 93 women; mean age 71 years, range 51 to 92 years) met the study inclusion criteria. An occult abdominal aortic aneurysm was identified in 13 patients (6.5%). Sixty-nine percent of the abdominal aortic aneurysm patients were men, with a mean age of 73 years and a mean duration of hypertension of 11 years. Seventy-seven percent had a history of tobacco use, and 15% had a positive family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm. All aneurysms were infrarenal in location, with abdominal aortic aneurysm diameter ranging from 3.0 to 5.2 cm (mean 3.9 cm). Laminated thrombus was present in six patients (46%), and in one patient a right common iliac artery aneurysm was also detected. Imaging of the abdominal aorta during transthoracic echocardiography required an average of 6.7 minutes (range 4 to 10 minutes). In conclusion, the abdominal aorta could be accurately imaged in the majority of patients (96%) undergoing transthoracic echocardiography in this study. The incidence of occult abdominal aortic aneurysm in hypertensive patients older than 50 years of age is significant (6.5%). Screening for occult abdominal aortic aneurysm in this patient population should be a routine extension of the transthoracic echocardiogram.