title: Decreases in diameters of treated abdominal aortic aneurysms and reduction in rupture rate.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the diameters of treated abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) have changed during the last 10 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective record review was completed on all patients undergoing any AAA repair from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2009, at a single high-volume institution. All cases of repaired AAAs that had computed tomographic scans within 3 months of surgery were included. The mean and median maximal diameters of AAAs were noted. Correlation and regression analyses were used.
  
  
  METHODS
  The mean and median maximal diameters of AAAs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 360 patients with treated AAAs, 339 met the inclusion criteria. The mean (SD) diameter of repaired AAAs decreased from 6.49 (1.46) cm (median, 6.40 cm) in 2000 to 5.83 (1.23) cm (median, 5.60 cm) in 2009. Correlation analysis confirmed a decrease in diameter across years (Pearson R = -0.141; P = .01). A fitted regression line also showed a decreasing trend (slope = -0.059 cm per year; P = .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diameters of repaired AAAs at our hospital have decreased progressively during the last decade. This observation is consistent with a reduction in the expansion rates of AAAs and may account for the progressive decreases in the aneurysm rupture rate in the United States.
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Anoushiravan Amini
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hadjibashi
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mirocha
authors.forename: David V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Cossman
authors.forename: Bruce L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Gewertz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000473:pathology*; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology