title: [Clinicopathological characteristics of aortic aneurysm in elderly patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the prevalence and clinicopathological features of aortic aneurysm (AA) in elderly inpatients at autopsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  All the AA cases were retrospectively analyzed in 909 autopsy cases aged 60-100 years in our hospital. The pathological changes, comorbidities and death reasons were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AA was diagnosed pathologically in 59 patients (6.5%), clinical diagnosis was not made in 37(62.7%) cases. The AA prevalence in patients aged ≥ 80 years was significantly higher than patients <80 years (10.2% vs. 2.9%, χ(2)=19.97, P<0.01). Abdominal AA was more common (91.5%) and the prevalence of multiple AA was 20.3%. Coronary artery disease (CAD) was diagnosed in 44 AA patients (74.6%) including 21(35.6%) with severe coronary artery stenosis and 7(11.9%) with three-vessel disease, 31 patients (52.5%) died of cardiac-cerebral diseases, including 7(11.9%) with ruptured AA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of AA was high in elderly inpatients aged ≥80 years with a relatively high missed diagnosis rate. AA was often complicated with CAD. The main cause of death of AA patients was cardiac-cerebral diseases. The screening, evaluation and treatment of AA should be enhanced in elderly patients, especially in patients aged 80 years and over.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Beijing Hospital, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Yingying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dongge
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Email: yangjiefu2011@126.com.
authors.forename: Jiefu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm; D001019:Aortic Rupture; D001344:Autopsy; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease; D023921:Coronary Stenosis; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies