VISUALIZATION OF ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSMS

Abstract

Opacification of abdominal aortic aneurysms is not essential for diagnosis. In the majority of patients, a pulsatile expansile abdominal mass is a reliable sign. Occasionally, a tortuous abdominal aorta, an unusually pulsatile aorta in a thin person, an abdominal mass adjacent to the aorta, adhesions from previous laparotomy, and a pseudoaneurysm due to a scoliotic lumbar spine may simulate aneurysms. In such instances, intravenous abdominal aortography is the simplest and safest method of aortography.