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Question:

Would preop tests before gallbladder surgery identify an AAA?

If someone had preop heart tests before gallbladder surgery, could they have an AAA two years later, or would it have shown up in tests?  

submitted Marlene from Geneva, New York on 2/26/2013

Answer:

by Texas Heart Institute cardiologist, Maher M. Nasser, MD    

At times testing for gallbladder disease, commonly by ultrasound, may not entail a detailed abdominal exam to check for the presence of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).  Also in some patients, a small AAA may become larger in two years, particularly in those with several risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.     

See also on this site:  

• Center for Women’s Heart & Vascular Health
  
• “Women and the Threat of AAA”
  
• Heart Information Center  

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Updated February 2013