title: [The clinical prognostic importance of routine study of the aorta during abdominal echotomography in the elderly patient].
abstract: Aneurysm of the abdominal aorta (AAA) is encountered with increasing frequency and is often observed at fixation or rupture, events which can be treated surgically but suffer from high operative mortality. Given the current tendency to extend the surgical indication to increasing sectors of patients, the clinico-prognostic significance of routine study of the abdominal aorta with echotomography has been investigated. This examination is reliable in all elderly patients who undergo ultrasound examination for different clinical indications. In the 147 patients considered, aged more than 60 and of both sexes, 12 AAA not suspected clinically were observed. For this the surgical indication or echotomographic monitoring was discussed in relation to age and clinical condition and with due consideration for the morphologic volumetry of the lesion. The finding of the 12 cases of AAA is an indicator of the usefulness of a routine study of the aorta in elderly patients, for awareness of the lesion means that the best therapeutic decisions can be taken and makes it possible to act effectively in emergency situations such as fixation, rupture and distal embolism.
authors.affiliation: Ospedale Civile Edoardo Agnelli, Pinerolo.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borrè
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gremo
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000473:pathology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000473:pathology*; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000175:diagnosis; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D014463:Ultrasonography
vernacular_title: Significato clinico-prognostico dello studio "di routine" dell'aorta in corso di ecotomografia addominale nel paziente anziano.