Complete pre-operative imaging assessment of abdominal aortic aneurysm with spiral CT angiography.
OBJECTIVE
A prospective evaluation of spiral CT angiography (SCTA) as the sole pre-operative imaging modality for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.


METHODS
Spiral CT angiography was compared with conventional transfemoral angiography in 30 patients and results correlated with surgical findings in 22 patients. The following features were assessed: renal artery number and disease; upper and lower aneurysm extent; aneurysm size; perianeurysmal inflammation; iliac artery disease; radiation dose; and contrast usage.


RESULTS
Spiral CT angiography agreed with conventional angiography in all cases of severe stenosis or occlusion of renal arteries and had 90% agreement overall for renal artery disease. Two of nine accessory renal arteries seen at conventional angiography were missed. For showing aneurysm extent SCTA was 100% sensitive, and performed better than conventional angiography. Aneurysm size was better shown with SCTA. In iliac disease SCTA, as performed in this study, was poor for mild-moderate disease, but detected four of six severely stenosed/occluded iliac arteries seen at conventional angiography. Prospective sensitivity for perianeurysmal inflammation was 33%. Radiation dose for SCTA was approximately twice and contrast dose approximately three times that for conventional angiography.


CONCLUSIONS
Spiral CT angiography can provide all the necessary imaging information to plan aneurysm repair in the non-claudicant.
Errington
M L
ML
Department of Radiology, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK.
Ferguson
J M
JM
Gillespie
I N
IN
Connell
H M
HM
Ruckley
C V
CV
Wright
A R
AR
D000368:Aged; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001027:Aortography / Q000379:methods*; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001167:Arteritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012078:Renal Artery Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*