Screening for XXXX during lower extremity arterial evaluation in the vascular laboratory.

@entity1 @entity439 @entity1028
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of screening for @entity1028 ( @entity1028 ) during noninvasive lower extremity arterial examination in the vascular laboratory. METHODS: Over 30 months we screened 531 @entity1 who underwent lower extremity arterial evaluations in the vascular laboratory. The @entity1 had fasted overnight, and, after the regular noninvasive lower extremity arterial examination, the abdominal aorta was screened with B-mode ultrasonography. RESULTS: The aorta was adequately visualized in 475 @entity1 (89%). Mean aortic diameter was 19.6 +/- 4.1 mm at the juxtarenal level and 18.8 +/- 7.2 mm in the lower infrarenal aorta. The aortic diameter was larger in @entity1 (p < 0.001) and in smokers (p < 0.001). @entity1028 (diameter greater than 3.0 cm) were identified in 32 @entity1 (6.0% of the 531 @entity1 screened), and 15 of the @entity439 were equal to or larger than 4.0 cm. The best predictors for @entity1028 by logistic regression analysis were male sex (p < 0.005), advanced age (greater than 65 years, p < 0.01), and a history of smoking (p < 0.01). The prevalence of @entity1028 was 6.7% (32/475) in the population in whom the aorta was visualized and 15.2% (19/125) in male smokers over 65 years of age. @entity439 of 4.0 cm or greater were identified in 3.2% of the entire population screened and 8.8% of male smokers over age 65. Limited aortic scanning prolonged the vascular laboratory examination by an average of 5 minutes. Thus detection of one @entity439 required 83 minutes of scanning time for the whole population studied and 36 minutes of scanning of male smokers over age 65, at a cost of  240 to  553 per @entity439 identified. CONCLUSION: Screening for @entity1028 during lower extremity arterial evaluation in the vascular laboratory addresses a high-risk population, is cost-effective, and should be considered an appropriate and valuable addition to the examination protocol.
