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Abdominal aortic aneurysm classification

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] ;Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Ramyar Ghandriz MD[2]

Overview

Overview

Aneurysms are usually classified by their shape. Abdominal aorta aneurysm is classified by their location as suprarenal or infrarenal. size of the aneurysm is another important criteria that may indicate the need for surgery, so they may be classified by their size in many textbooks.

Classification

Classification

Fusiform Aneurysms

  • They are the most common type of aneurysm seen in the infrarenal aorta.
  • They are diffuse and circumferential.[1]

Saccular Aneurysms

  • Involve only a portion of the circumference, with a characteristic outpouching of the vessel wall.[2].

Size based classification

  • Determined by ultrasonography, where as it manifest the best maintenance method[3]:
  • Small aneurysm (<5.5 cm) needs close follow ups.
  • If during follow ups, an aneurysm growth in size was rapid, surgery is required.
  • Pronounced aneurysm (>5.5 cm) needs surgical repair via graft placement or endovascular stent placement.
References

References

  1. Wang, Linda J.; Prabhakar, Anand M.; Kwolek, Christopher J. (2018). “Current status of the treatment of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms”. Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy. 8 (S1): S191–S199. doi:10.21037/cdt.2017.10.01. ISSN 2223-3652.
  2. Cronenwett, Jack (2014). Rutherford’s vascular surgery. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders/Elsevier. ISBN 978-1-4557-5304-8.
  3. Kontopodis, Nikolaos; Lioudaki, Stella; Pantidis, Dimitrios; Papadopoulos, George; Georgakarakos, Efstratios; Ioannou, Christos V (2016). “Advances in determining abdominal aortic aneurysm size and growth”. World Journal of Radiology. 8 (2): 148. doi:10.4329/wjr.v8.i2.148. ISSN 1949-8470.

CME Category::Cardiology

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