High prevalence of unsuspected abdominal aortic aneurysms in patients hospitalised for surgical coronary revascularisation.
OBJECTIVE
Prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is not exactly known among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who are considered for surgical revascularisation. We evaluated the value of screening AAA among coronary patients admitted in our cardiovascular surgery unit.


METHODS
Over a 24-month period, an abdominal echography was proposed to male patients aged 60 or more while hospitalised for surgical coronary revascularisation. Patients with previous investigation of the aorta were excluded. The aorta was considered aneurysmal when the anterior-posterior diameter was of 30 mm or more.


RESULTS
Three hundred and ninety-five consecutive patients all accepted a proposed abdominal echographic screening for AAA. Forty unsuspected AAA were detected (10.1%). The mean diameter was 38.9 +/- 1.3 mm. Four AAA were larger than 50 mm and considered for surgery after the CABG procedure. Surveillance was proposed to the other 36, especially the 10 patients with an AAA larger than 40 mm. Patients with AAA were significantly older than those without AAA (71.3 +/- 0.8 vs. 69.4 +/- 0.3 years, P<0.05). Smoking history (P<0.05) and hypertension (P<0.05) were also associated more frequently with AAA. More than 16% of the patients being smokers and suffering hypertension presented with unsuspected AAA.


CONCLUSIONS
In-hospital screening of AAA is very efficient among patients with coronary artery disease. Therefore, patients with CAD may be considered for routine AAA screening.
Monney
Pierre
P
Division of Vascular Medicine, University Hospital, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Hayoz
Daniel
D
Tinguely
Francine
F
Cornuz
Jacques
J
Haesler
Erik
E
Mueller
Xavier M
XM
von Segesser
Ludwig K
LK
Tevaearai
Hendrik T
HT
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000601:surgery; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors