title: [Ultrasound diagnosis of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in a 52 year old woman].
abstract: The abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is defined as increasing the diameter of the aorta in more than 50 % of its original size and the infra-renal location is the most common (90 %). AAA disease mainly affects older men and white smokers, and has a male: female ratio of 4:1, as well the diagnosis is rare in women under age 55. Aneurysm rupture is the most common complication and cause of death in the general population, its etiology is unclear, but is commonly associated with atherosclerosis. The AAA do not exhibit rupture and  it is usually asymptomatic diagnosed incidentally, however, as the aneurysm grows, appears symptoms such as back pain, abdominal or groin pain, well as palpation of a pulse mass on umbilical and supra-umbilical region. Imaging study such as ultrasound and CT scan are the mainstay of diagnosis. We present a case of 52 years old patient with no history related to the diagnosis, who presented sudden and severe abdominal pain. She was admitted to the emergency room with a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis vs. acute pancreatitis. After ultrasound and CT studies, the diagnosis was a complicated abdominal aortic aneurysm.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ultrasonido, Hospital de Zona 57, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, La Quebrada, Estado de México, Mexico. jorgeaspe@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Romero-Hernández
authors.forename: Marco Antonio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lozano-Corona
authors.forename: Macrina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Díaz-Méndez
authors.forename: Jorge Alejandro
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Aspeitia-León
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hernández-Díaz
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Magaña-Cabrera
mesh_terms: D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014463:Ultrasonography