A total of 1300 CAD patients were screened from August 2009 to May 2010, and measurement of abdominal aorta size was feasible in 920 patients (71%) at the end of routine TTE. An AAA was defined as having a maximal diameter of > or =30 mm.
RESULTS:
Of the 920 patients, 22 (2.4% of the study population) were diagnosed with AAA; of these AAA patients, 86% were male, and 82% were over 65 years-old. Abdominal aortic size was weakly correlated with aortic root diameter (r=0.22, p<0.01). Although the proportions of malegender, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were higher in AAA patients, such differences were not statistically significant. Advanced age [odds ratio (OR)=1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.12; p<0.01], smoking (OR=3.44; 95% CI 1.18-10.04; p=0.02), and peripheral arterial disease (OR=5.88; 95% CI 1.38-25.05; p=0.01) were found to be associated with AAA.