title: Assessment of the accuracy of AortaScan for detection of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  AortaScan AMI 9700 is a portable 3D ultrasound device that automatically measures the maximum diameter of the abdominal aorta without the need for a trained sonographer. It is designed to rapidly diagnose or exclude an AAA and may have particular use in screening programs. Our objective was to determine its accuracy to detect AAA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects from our AAA screening and surveillance programs were examined. The aorta was scanned using the AortaScan and computed tomography (CT).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-one subjects underwent imaging (44 AAA on conventional ultrasound surveillance and 47 controls). The largest measurement obtained by AortaScan was compared against the CT-aortic measurement. The mean aortic diameter was 2.8 cm. The CT scan confirmed the diagnosis of AAA in 43 subjects. There was one false positive measurement on conventional ultrasound. AortaScan missed the diagnosis of AAA in eight subjects. There were thirteen false positive measurements. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 81%, 72%, 72% and 81% respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A device to detect AAA without the need for a trained operator would have potential in a community-based screening programme. The AortaScan, however, lacks adequate sensitivity and significant technical improvement is necessary before it could be considered a replacement for trained screening personnel.
authors.affiliation: King's College London British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, Academic Department of Surgery, Cardiovascular Division, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cecelja
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Waltham
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation*