Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Diameter versus Volume: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Recently, AAA volume measurement has been proposed as a potentially valuable surveillance method in situations when diameter measurement might fail. Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the results of previous studies comparing AAA diameter and volume measurements. Methods: A systematic search in PubMed, Cochrane, and EMBASE databases was performed to identify studies investigating the use of diameter and volume measurements in AAA diagnosis and prognosis in English, German, and Russian, published until December 2022. The manuscripts were reviewed by three researchers and scored on the quality of the research using MINORS criteria. Results: After screening 752 manuscripts, 19 studies (n = 1690) were included. The majority (n = 17) of the manuscripts appeared to favor volume. It is, however, important to highlight the heterogeneity of methodologies and lack of standardized protocol for measuring both volume and diameter in the included studies, which hindered the interpretation of the results. Conclusions: The clinical relevance of abdominal aortic aneurysm volume measurement is still unclear, although studies show favorable and promising results for volumetric changes in AAA, especially in follow-up after EVAR.