Abdominal aortic aneurysms: diagnosing and treating on time.

Recent evidence demonstrates that the notion of a "safe" aneurysm is a fallacy. The incidence of rupture, even in small aneurysms, is alarmingly high. Up to half of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms are asymptomatic before rupture and death. Lateral lumbosacral spine film using bone technique is ideal for rapid evaluation of an an aneurysm. About three-fourths of abdominal aortic aneurysms contain sufficient calcium to allow detection by this method, and estimation of aneurysm size is accurate.