<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>
<bold>Background:</bold> Currently, the impact of abdominal aortic aneurysm may be changing despite the aging population, but may be ambiguous given the decline in smoking, the use of screening methods, and integration of non-surgical treatment. <bold>Objective:</bold> This review aimed to assess the most common currently used non-invasive methods to identify abdominal aortic aneurysm, namely ultrasound and computed tomography. <bold>Methods:</bold> PRISMA guidelines were utilized to retrieve original articles from the past five years. All retrospective and prospective studies/trials were included, but limited to US and CT abdominal aortic aneurysm diagnostic imaging methods. Qualitative assessment of study quality is described. <bold>Results:</bold> Three of the six studies reported abdominal aortic aneurysm screening data. The estimated prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm for the three studies ranged from 4.5% to 6.2%. CT had slightly higher sensitivity and US had higher specificity for abdominal aortic aneurysm diagnosis. Two of the described studies assessed technical issues and problems with contemporary imaging of abdominal aortic aneurysm. The final article described measuring abdominal aortic aneurysm function of aortic distensibility and its pulse wave velocity for a comprehensive assessment of the abdominal aortic aneurysm via standard CT imaging. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> Both US and CT are useful diagnostic imaging modalities for abdominal aortic aneurysm, but remain with unique pitfalls and propensity for errors, notwithstanding patient-related errors. Technical issues in imaging with both ultrasound and CT are not straightforward. The potential value of an integrated CT protocol with CT-US fusion and/or assessment of aortic function rather than solely aortic anatomy may further diminish diagnostic complexities.</p>
</abstract>

Background: Currently, the impact of abdominal aortic aneurysm may be changing despite the aging population, but may be ambiguous given the decline in smoking, the use of screening methods, and integration of non-surgical treatment. Objective: This review aimed to assess the most common currently used non-invasive methods to identify abdominal aortic aneurysm, namely ultrasound and computed tomography. Methods: PRISMA guidelines were utilized to retrieve original articles from the past five years. All retrospective and prospective studies/trials were included, but limited to US and CT abdominal aortic aneurysm diagnostic imaging methods. Qualitative assessment of study quality is described. Results: Three of the six studies reported abdominal aortic aneurysm screening data. The estimated prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm for the three studies ranged from 4.5% to 6.2%. CT had slightly higher sensitivity and US had higher specificity for abdominal aortic aneurysm diagnosis. Two of the described studies assessed technical issues and problems with contemporary imaging of abdominal aortic aneurysm. The final article described measuring abdominal aortic aneurysm function of aortic distensibility and its pulse wave velocity for a comprehensive assessment of the abdominal aortic aneurysm via standard CT imaging. Conclusions: Both US and CT are useful diagnostic imaging modalities for abdominal aortic aneurysm, but remain with unique pitfalls and propensity for errors, notwithstanding patient-related errors. Technical issues in imaging with both ultrasound and CT are not straightforward. The potential value of an integrated CT protocol with CT-US fusion and/or assessment of aortic function rather than solely aortic anatomy may further diminish diagnostic complexities.

A contemporary review of non-invasive methods in diagnosing abdominal aortic aneurysms

Journal of Ultrasonography

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Background: Currently, the impact of abdominal aortic aneurysm may be changing despite the aging population, but may be ambiguous given the decline in smoking,...

A contemporary review of non-invasive methods in diagnosing abdominal aortic aneurysms

Article Category: research-article

Published Online: Dec 15, 2021

Page range: 332 - 339

Received: Mar 30, 2021

Accepted: Jun 21, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15557/jou.2021.0055

Keywords
CT, US, abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, CT-US fusion, vascular distensibility

© 2021 Polish Ultrasound Society. Published by Medical Communications Sp. z o.o.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

A contemporary review of non-invasive methods in diagnosing abdominal aortic aneurysms

Article Category: research-article

Published Online: Dec 15, 2021

Page range: 332 - 339

Received: Mar 30, 2021

Accepted: Jun 21, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15557/jou.2021.0055

KeywordsCT, US, abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, CT-US fusion, vascular distensibility

© 2021 Polish Ultrasound Society. Published by Medical Communications Sp. z o.o.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
CT, US, abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, CT-US fusion, vascular distensibility