I have Marfan's syndrome. Can abdominal ultrasound be used to diagnose AAA?

Question

Hi doctor,

I have Marfan's syndrome and abnormal tachycardia in the ECG report, but my echocardiogram (echo) report is normal. I want to know whether the size of the abdominal aorta is detected in the echocardiogram report or any special ultrasound of the abdomen is done for that? Marfan's syndrome causes an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Can abdominal ultrasound diagnose it? Kindly give your opinion.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Marfan's syndrome is a genetic disorder of connective tissue. It can damage the blood vessels, heart, eyes, skin, lungs, and bones. It is caused by the mutation of the FBN1 (fibrillin-1) gene. The cardiac features of Marfan syndrome are aortic valve dilation, mitral valve prolapse with severe mitral regurgitation. Marfan's syndrome (MFS) leads to an aortic root aneurysm, which is part of the aorta at the level of your heart, descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA), which is part of the aorta which lies underside of your heart in the chest region. It occurs less commonly. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is rarely reported in Marfan's syndrome. There are no guidelines for AAA screening. But if you do want, a contrast-enhanced CT (computed tomography) scan of the abdomen and pelvis can assess your abdominal aorta. An ultrasound will not pick that up. I hope this was helpful.