Ultrasound diagnostics of the abdominal aorta: English version

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The ideal method for screening investigations is one which is as free as possible from side effects, is easily learnt, and can therefore be broadly used to detect abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) with a high degree of certainty. Although ultrasonography fulfils these criteria, the measurement method is not standardized. Different measurement methods are used in ultrasonography as well as in computed tomography (CT) studies and the measurement method is actually described sufficiently in only 57 % of cases. METHODS: This article provides a critical review of the current literature on measurement methods and the validity of ultrasonography for the determination of aortic diameter, particularly in AAA, and presents the measurement principles for making measurements as precisely as possible. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The most precise determination of aortic diameter is carried out by electrocardiogram (ECG) gating according to the leading-edge method with orthogonal slicing. Within the framework of screening investigations, sufficient measurement precision can be achieved by adherence to orthogonal slicing. Using these standardized measurement methods, ultrasonography shows valid and reproducible results even compared with CT and is the method of choice in screening investigations for AAA. Electronic Supplementary Material is available for this article at 10.1007/s00772-014-1411-1 and accessible for authorised users.