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In older patients with small abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), the best follow-up interval is unclear, but most patients receive annual assessment of maximum transverse diameter (MTD). Although many clinicians now are using ultrasound (US) for AAA surveillance, in this observational study, researchers used computed tomography (CT) to assess growth rates in 254 patients (mean age, 71) with small AAAs (MTDs: women, 3.5–4.5 cm; men 3.5–5.0 cm). Patients underwent CT assessment of MTD every 6 months for 2 years.
The median growth rate was 0.17 cm per year. Ten percent of AAAs showed essentially no growth (<0.05 cm per year), 62% showed slow growth (0.05–0.25 cm per year), and 28% showed fast growth (>0.25 cm per year). No patient with an MTD <4…