Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2008;97(2):105-9; discussion 109.
doi: 10.1177/145749690809700204.

How to define an abdominal aortic aneurysm--influence on epidemiology and clinical practice

Affiliations
Review

How to define an abdominal aortic aneurysm--influence on epidemiology and clinical practice

A Wanhainen. Scand J Surg. 2008.

Abstract

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a dilatation of the abdominal aorta. There is, however, no general agreement on how to define an AAA. The lack of a uniform definition may have consequences on epidemiology and clinical practice. Several proposed definitions of an AAA exist, all based on the diameter of the abdominal aorta. Age, gender, and body size are all associated with the aortic diameter, and may therefore also be of importance when evaluating the aortic diameter. The precision of the measurement and the awareness of imaging shortcomings are also important. In order to demonstrate a true widening of the aorta the relation to adjacent aortic segments must be assessed. To demonstrate an expansion of a potential aneurysm, a follow-up period with repeated assessments is required. Thus, a fixed diameter does not serve as a proper definition of an aneurysm, but rather as a cut-off level for further assessment and/or follow-up.

PubMed Disclaimer

LinkOut - more resources