The majority of aneurysms never rupture but when they do, unless corrected surgically, they may lead to death due to retroperitoneal or intraperitoneal exsanguination. They are popularly known as “ticking bombs”. Acute rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is one of the most dramatic emergencies in medicine since it often misdiagnosed as another problem. This article focuses on the approach and techniques for screening the AAA to aid timely management. An aneurysm is a focal dilation of a blood vessel.
An AAA is defined as a dilated aorta with a diameter of 1.5 times the diameter measure at the level of renal arteries. The normal aortic diameter in most individuals is approximately 2 cm (range 1.4 to 3 cm). AAA is diagnosed when the aortic diameter exceeds 3 cm. Let us go through various screening tools used for diagnosing AAA: Abdominal USG- USG has been used as the screening…
