Investigating Practice Patterns in Symptomatic Non-ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) in Europe

Wilhelminenspital Vienna130 enrolled

Overview

Symptomatic non-ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (snrAAA) remain a clinical challenge due to limited evidence and heterogeneous definitions and management strategies. Unlike ruptured AAAs, snrAAA lack large-scale population-based studies, primarily due to inconsistent application of standardised medical classifications (e.g., ICD-10) and international variability in definitions, diagnostic approaches, and treatment protocols. Optimal diagnostic pathways, preoperative risk assessments, and treatment strategies remain poorly defined, with minimal guidance from existing guidelines. This study aims to conduct a multinational cross-sectional online survey with optional retrospective validation to assess current opinions on an institutional scale regarding the definition and management of patients with snrAAA in Europe. All European vascular centres offering elective and emergency AAA repair are eligible to participate. Multiple survey entries from the same institution are not allowed. Centres are also invited to participate in a retrospective observational validation, reporting diagnostic and therapeutic details of their last five snrAAA cases.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

130

Conditions

Symptomatic Non-ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: \- Last 5 patients (aged \>18 years) treated at a participating centre for symptomatic non-ruptured AAA (or the last patients in the preceding 5 years if they have treated less than 5 patients in 5 years) Exclusion Criteria: * None

Locations (1)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Number of participants that define non-ruptured symptomatic AAA on clinical symptoms alone assessed by the snrAAA Questionaire

The objective of this study is to provide insights into current practice strategies in the definition, diagnosis, preoperative optimization, and surgical care of patients with non-ruptured symptomatic AAA in Europe. Primary outcome measures will be count and proportion.

Time frame: From August 2024 to June 2026

Secondary Outcomes

Number of participants where the stated practices align with actual treatment patterns assessed by the snrAAA Questionaire and electronic Case Report Form

In order to validate the data collected on the institutional standard of care for symptomatic non-ruptured AAA cases, centres are kindly invited to participate in a retrospective observational analysis in which they are asked to report the diagnostic and therapeutic procedure of the last 5 patients treated at their institution for symptomatic non-ruptured AAA (or the last patients in the preceding 5 years if they have treated less than 5 patients in 5 years). Secondary outcome measures will be count and proportion.