Three-Dimensional Ultrasound Evaluation of Small Asymptomatic Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

ObjectiveNon-invasive and reproducible size measurements that correlate well with computed tomography (CT) are desirable in the management of small abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Three dimensional ultrasound (3D-US) technology may reduce inaccuracy because of variations in orientation of the image planes and axis. This study aimed to determine any differences in paired size estimation associated with three 3D-US derived methods using 3D-CT as the gold standard. When CTA was not available, the patients were enrolled anyway to assess 3D-US reproducibility in terms of agreement between two physicians.MethodsIn the period from 1 March 2013 to 27 February 2014, consecutive patients with a small AAA, <5.5 cm for men and