COLOR-CODED DUPLEX SONOGRAPHY IN THE EVAL UATION OF POSTOPERATIVE ABDOMINAL AORTIC-ANEURYSMS

One hundred patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms were t reated by surgery. Fifteen deaths occurred postoperatively. Eleven pat ients died during the follow-up of a medium period of 13 months. Three patients with a ruptured aneurysm died intraoperatively before the gr aft was implanted. Three patients were lost to follow-up. Sixty-four p atients were examined with colour-coded Duplex sonography after surgic al repair. Colour-coded Duplex sonography was able to image the aortic prostheses with the adjacent major vessels. Fifty-eight patients show ed a normal prosthesis, 3 dilatation proximal of the prosthesis, 1 dil atation distal of the prosthesis, 1 mild stenosis, 1 haematoma. Colour -coded Duplex sonography imaged the intraluminal space of the prosthes is more easily than ultrasound. Colour-coded Duplex sonography was abl e to differentiate between intraluminal and extraluminal lesions.