Atherosclerotic Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms on Computed Tomography Angiography: A Narrative Review on Spectrum of Findings, Structured Reporting, Treatment, Secondary Complications and Differential Diagnosis
Roberta Scicolone,
Kosmas I. Paraskevas,
Giovanni Argiolas,
Antonella Balestrieri,
Paolo Siotto,
Jasjit S. Suri,
Michele Porcu,
Cesare Mantini,
Massimo Caulo,
Salvatore Masala,
Filippo Cademartiri,
Roberto Sanfilippo,
Luca Saba
Affiliations
Roberta Scicolone
Department of Radiology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Kosmas I. Paraskevas
Department of Vascular Surgery, Red Cross Hospital, Athens, Greece
Giovanni Argiolas
Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliera Brotzu, Cagliari, Italy
Antonella Balestrieri
Department of Radiology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Paolo Siotto
Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliera Brotzu, Cagliari, Italy
Jasjit S. Suri
Stroke Division and Monitoring Division, AtheroPointTM, Roseville, CA, USA
Michele Porcu
Department of Radiology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Cesare Mantini
Department of Radiology, “G. D’Annunzio” University, Chieti, Italy
Massimo Caulo
Department of Radiology, “G. D’Annunzio” University, Chieti, Italy
Salvatore Masala
Department of Radiology, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
Filippo Cademartiri
Department of Imaging, IRCCS Synlab SDN, Napoli, Italy
Roberto Sanfilippo
Department of Vascular Surgery, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Luca Saba
Department of Radiology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are a common vascular pathology with significant morbidity and mortality risks. Timely diagnosis, accurate characterization, and standardized reporting are critical for effective management and monitoring of atherosclerotic AAAs. Imaging modalities, particularly computed tomography angiography (CTA), play a pivotal role in the detection, treatment planning, and identification of both primary and secondary complications, as well as distinguishing AAAs from other etiologies. This narrative review provides a comprehensive exploration of the spectrum of imaging findings in atherosclerotic AAAs on CTA, underscoring the importance of structured reporting. Additionally, it examines therapeutic approaches and complications, and it differentiates AAAs from inflammatory, mycotic, and traumatic variants, serving as a primer for radiologists in AAA evaluation.
