title: Prevalence and early detection of abdominal aortic aneurysm in pseudoexfoliation syndrome and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goals of this study were to demonstrate the frequency of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in patients with pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome (PEXS) and PEX glaucoma (PEXG), and to determine whether limited screening for AAA in specific subgroups of patients with PEX is reasonable and justifiable.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study comprised 60 patients with PEXS and 60 with PEXG (examined group), and 60 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and 60 with cataract (control group). Clinical ophthalmic examination included slit-lamp biomicroscopy of the anterior segment and direct slit-lamp gonioscopy (using a Goldmann three-mirror lens) of the anterior chamber angle. All patients underwent routine Color Doppler duplex ultrasonography of the infrarenal aorta and iliac arteries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the PEXG group and control group vis-a-vis presence of AAA, which occurred more frequently in patients with greater amounts of angle pigmentation (p < 0.05). Univariate logistic regression analysis indicated statistically significant associations between AAA and PEX (p < 0.01), angle pigmentation (p < 0.05), gender (p < 0.01), diabetes mellitus (DM) (p < 0.05), and arterial hypertension (AHT) (p < 0.01). Multivariate regression analysis, adjusted to gender and age, showed that the most important clinical parameters related to AAA in patients with PEXS and PEXG are gender, presence of PEX, DM, and AHT (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The frequency of AAA is significantly higher in patients with PEXS and PEXG than in patients with POAG or cataract. Restricted screening for AAA in male PEXS patients, who also have elevated degrees of angle pigmentation, arterial hypertension, and DM, is clinically warranted.
authors.affiliation: Medical Faculty University of Nis, Ophthalmology Clinic, Clinical Center Nis, Serbia. jdjordjevic.jocic@ gmail.com
authors.forename: Jasmina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Djordjevic-Jocic
authors.forename: Predrag
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jovanovic
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bozic
authors.forename: Aleksandar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tasic
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rancic
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D017889:Exfoliation Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006068:Gonioscopy; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055771:Serbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex; D058609:Visual Field Tests; D014794:Visual Fields