@article { , title = {The value of abdominal examination in the diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysm}, abstract = {Background. There is considerable variability in the reported value of clinical examination in the diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). This study aims to assess accuracy of abdominal examination by a doctor, a nurse and the patient in the diagnosis of AAA and whether this accuracy is related to the size of the aneurysm and/or the BMI of the patient. Methods. 164 patients, 138 men and 26 women, median age 71 years, consented to participate in this prospective, single blind, controlled study. Thirty-nine patients attending for carotid duplex were used as controls. Abdominal examination was performed by a doctor and a nurse. Patients then performed self-examination. Results. Examination by a doctor, a nurse and the patient were similar in accuracy in diagnosing/excluding AAA which was directly related to AAA size and patient BMI. The Negative Predicted Value of abdominal examination exceeds 0.9 with AAA diameters ≥ 4 cm and the Positive Predictive Value exceeds 0.8 with AAA diameters ≥ 5 cm. Conclusions. Abdominal examination by a doctor, a nurse and the patient is of value in the exclusion and diagnosis of significant AAA. It should be promoted and may represent a useful adjunct to population screening with ultrasound.}, doi = {10.1016/j.ejvs.2003.09.006}, issn = {1078-5884}, issue = {1}, journal = {EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF VASCULAR AND ENDOVASCULAR SURGERY}, note = {Output ID 23281.}, pages = {56-60}, publicationstatus = {Published}, publisher = {Elsevier}, url = {https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/391542}, volume = {27}, keyword = {Specialist Research - Other, Health and Health Inequalities, Surgery, Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine}, year = {2004}, author = {Venkatasubramaniam, AK and Chetter, IC and McCollum, PT and Venkatasubramaniam, A.K and Mehta, T and Chetter, I.C and Bryce, J and Renwick, P and Johnson, B and Wilkinson, A and McCollum, P.T} }