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Pulsatile Abdominal Mass

Pulsatile Abdominal Mass. Presley Regional Trauma Center Department of Surgery University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, Tennessee. General. Underlying condition may range in severity from benign to life-threatening

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Pulsatile Abdominal Mass

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  1. Pulsatile Abdominal Mass Presley Regional Trauma Center Department of Surgery University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, Tennessee

  2. General • Underlying condition may range in severity from benign to life-threatening • Either attributable to a large blood vessel or from another mass that is simply in close proximity to a blood vessel

  3. General • AAA = most feared cause of a PAM • Present in 3 to 9% of population • 15K deaths per year • Incidence and penetrance of aneurysms vary according to age and race

  4. Presentation

  5. Asymptomatic • More common • Often discovered on abdominal or pelvic scans done for other indications • Plains films may reveal a calcified aortic shell

  6. Ruptured • Pronounced symptoms • Condition may range from hemodynamic instability to class IV shock • Traditional presentation • hypotension • back or abdominal pain • PAM • occurs less than 50% of the time

  7. Ruptured • Overall mortality = 77 to 94% • 50% mortality prior to reaching hospital • Most leak into the left RP = contained rupture • Free rupture usually results in death either at home or en route to the hospital

  8. History • Helpful in determining risk for AAA • Factor associated with increased risk • advanced age, greater height, CAD, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, HTN, smoking duration (7.6x more likely; ex-smokers 3x more likely; RR increases by 4% for each year), male, FH • Lower risk • women, African Americans and diabetics

  9. Factors • Occur almost exclusively in elderly males • Rarely seen in patients younger than 50 • mean age 72 • Male:female = 4:1 to 6:1 • 12 to 19% of patients with AAA will have 1st degree relative with AAA

  10. Risk Factors for Rupture • Female sex – 2 to 4x more likely • Larger initial diameter • Lower FEV1 • Current smoking • Higher mean bp

  11. Examination

  12. PE • Key to detecting an AAA prior to the advent of modern radiologic tests • Palpation of an AAA is safe and has not been reported to precipitate rupture • Not very accurate in detecting AAA • depends primarily on the size of the AAA • those >5 cm are detectable in 76% of pts

  13. How to Proceed

  14. Unstable Patient • For the unstable patient with a painful, pulsatile abdominal mass no further study or workup is necessary • For patients with stable (but not necessarily normal) vitals, CTA can be helpful

  15. Stable Patient • For the stable patient with a PAM, furhter work-up is always indicated • Duplex ultrasonography • unreliable in detecting rupture • CTA of the chest, abdomen and pelvis

  16. Management

  17. Stable Patient • Once the Dx is made, the subsequent course of action is determined by the clinical presentation and the size • It must be emphasized that if the patient becomes hemodynamically unstable at any point, operative intervention is necessary • Must evaluate discomfort and/or pain

  18. No Pain • Patient with PAM and known AAA • Hemodynamically stable • Without complaints of pain • Must be categorized based on the size of the aneurysm

  19. Pain • With pain in the abdomen, back, testicles or femoral region, index of suspicion must be high for a symptomatic or ruptured AAA (even if hemodynamically stable) • Other causes should be considered • Dx must not be delayed • interval between onset of symptoms and subsequent Dx and operation may have a direct bearing on overall survival

  20. Considerations • Whether the risk associated with AAA repair exceeds the risk of rupture in a given period • What other factors are present that may affect this decision

  21. Indications for Operative Intervention

  22. Basic Physics • Law of Laplace best describes aneurysm expansion and rupture • Tangential stress (t) placed on cylinder filled with fluid is determined by t = Pr/d • P = pressure exerted by the fluid, r = internal radius of the cylinder and d = thickness of the cylinder wall

  23. So … • When the aorta expands, its radius increases and wall thickness decreases • geometric increase in tangential stress • as an aneurysm grows from 2 to 4 cm in diameter, t increases fourfold • Elastic tissue in the aorta attenuates with age • When t > elastic capacity = rupture

  24. Magic Number 5.5 cm

  25. Small AAAs • < 5 cm • For a patient with a small AAA with stable vitals and no abdominal pain – serial US and optimization of medical management • Usually do not rupture • Grow at 0.2 to 0.4 cm per year

  26. Epidemiology • Over the past several decades, the number of AAAs (especially smaller ones) detected has increased • Increased serendipitous detection in the course of scans done for other indications • The progressive aging of the population

  27. Biology • Evaluating the role various proteolytic enzymes play in processes involving the structural elements in the aortic wall • Investigating the importance of the immune system, specifically the macrophage, in the development of AAAs

  28. Biology • Determining how hemodynamic and biomechanical stress affects aortic wall remodeling • Identifying molecular genetic variables that contribute to AAA development

  29. Medical Therapy • Perioperative β blockade - cardioprotective • Anti-HTN – no level I data • Lipid-lowering drugs – requires further study • long-term statin use after successful AAA surgery has been associated with reduced mortality • Smoking cessation = mandatory

  30. Pre-op Evaluation

  31. Elective AAA • Must determine expected benefit of repair in relation to the estimated risk • Detailed H&P • ECG • Routine lab work • Appropriate imaging - approach • Optimize patient medically

  32. Comorbid Conditions

  33. CAD • Common • Leading cause of both early and late mortality after AAA repair • ACC/AHA guidelines • Clinical predictors of major perioperative CV risk – defined as MI, CHF or death – may be divided into 3 categories • major, intermediate and minor

  34. Significance • Major predictor requires that the Sx or disease be managed appropriately before non-emergency surgery • Intermediate predictor is associated with increased risk of periop cardiac complications and requires current status be fully investigated

  35. Significance • Minor predictor is indicative of CV disease but has not been shown to independently increase the risk of periop CV complications • Once clinical predictors have been evaluated, additional factors involving the patient’s ability to perform various activities (from ADLs to strenuous sports)

  36. METs • Quantification of the energy required to perform an activity = metabolic equivalents • The number of METs of which a patient is capable directly correlates with the ability to perform specific tasks • Patients who are unable to attain 4 METs are considered to be at high risk for periop Cv events and long-term complications

  37. Benefit • 2 large RCT to evaluate if pre-op coronary intervention (CABG or PTCA) improved mortality in elective major vascular surgery • No difference with respect to periop (30 days) MI in either group • At 2.7 years there was no difference in mortality between the groups

  38. So … • There is no need of pre-op coronary revascularization in patients with stable CAD • In stable patients, without evidence of heart failure, there may be no role for pre-op intervention as long as aggressive medical therapy can be initiated

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