Dell'Atti Lucio
Urology Unit, Arcispedale S. Anna, Ferrara, Italy.
Arch Ital Urol Androl. 2012 Dec;84(4):230-3.
The prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is increasing because of increased life expectancy. There are none or few symptoms related to abdominal aortic aneurysm until rupture. After rupture, mortality rates are 60-80%, but with an elective operation.
We performed an observational study on 140 consecutive patients of age over 50 years (range 50-82), presented to our clinic to perform a routine ultrasound examination of the urinary tract. We consecutively evaluated in these patients the possible detection of abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Ultrasonography of the abdomen is the test of choice for the detection of the disease, it is an examination of low-cost and non-invasive. It has a high diagnostic sensitivity 80%, in our study (result slightly less than the range reported by the literature 82-99%) and a specificity of 100%.
Because of its safety, low cost, ease of use, and wide availability, ultrasonography is the most commonly used clinical imaging modality. Ultrasonography is the standard method for screening and monitoring AAAs that have not ruptured. With the advance in 3-dimensional (3D) imaging, 3D ultrasonography has provided a new opportunity to acquire fast and reliable AAA measurements, which can not only shorten the time for a ultrasound exam but also reduce the workload of AAA surveillance.
由于预期寿命的延长，腹主动脉瘤（AAA）的患病率正在上升。在腹主动脉瘤破裂之前，几乎没有或仅有很少与腹主动脉瘤相关的症状。破裂后，死亡率为60%-80%，但通过择期手术可降低死亡率。
我们对连续140例年龄超过50岁（范围50-82岁）前来我院进行常规泌尿系统超声检查的患者进行了一项观察性研究。我们连续评估了这些患者中腹主动脉瘤的可能检出情况。
腹部超声检查是检测该病的首选方法，它是一种低成本且无创的检查。在我们的研究中，其诊断敏感性较高，为80%（结果略低于文献报道的82%-99%范围），特异性为100%。
由于其安全性、低成本、易用性和广泛可用性，超声检查是最常用的临床成像方式。超声检查是未破裂腹主动脉瘤筛查和监测的标准方法。随着三维（3D）成像技术的进步，3D超声检查为快速、可靠地测量腹主动脉瘤提供了新机会，这不仅可以缩短超声检查时间，还可以减轻腹主动脉瘤监测的工作量。
