Barzilai University Medical Center

13 Research Day 2020 Barzilai University Medical Center 4 AORTIC ARCH DILATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK OF ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURISM Enrique Gallego-Colon MD PhD 1 , Marina Pery MD 1 , Aner Daum MD, Evgenia Cherniavsky MD 2 , Azriel Osherov MD 1 , Jamal Jafari MD 1 , Vladimir Khalameizer 1 and Chaim Yosefy MD 1 1 Cardiology Department, Barzilai University Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben- Gurion University, Ashkelon, Israel. 2 Department of Medical Imaging, The Barzilai University Medical Center Ashkelon, Israel Background Abdominal aortic aneurism (AAA) is an asymptomatic condition characterized by progressive expansion of the aortic vessel. Early detection is essential because the risk of dissection and rupture. Echocardiography studies have become the most employed imaging technique in the diagnosis and follow-up of cardiovascular disease, including of aortic diseases. Methods In this retrospective study we analyzed 170 patients undergoing 2-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (2D-TTE) and computed tomography (CT) analysis. The study group was divided into two groups, 70 patients with AAA without any other cardiovascular conditions and 100 patients with normal imaging as a control group. Results Dilation of the aortic arch at the level aortic arch (D measurement) is associated with aneurism of the abdominal aorta by 2D-TTE and CT (r=0.33, p=0.0001 and r=0.26, p=0.0029, respectively). In addition, an increase risk abdominal aortic dissection by 2D-TTE was observed in patients with a D value of ≥ 33 cm (OR 15.04, CI 6.224-37.27, p=0.001). Conclusions Identification of abnormal aortic arch values in otherwise healthy subjects should prompt abdominal aortic aneurism screening with appropriate management to monitor further expansion or rupture of the aorta.