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Introduction: Ultrasound scanning of the abdominal aorta is the most effective way of diagnosing and controlling abdominal aortic aneurysms. A new ultrasound scanning technique, multiangle compound imaging , has proved to be superior to conventional B-mode scanning in both in vitro studies and in vivo studies of atherosclerotic plaques in human carotid arteries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether this new technique is superior to conventional scanning with regars to ultrasound scanning of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Materials and methods: We examined 37 consecutive patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms. Digital scanning sequences were saved electronically in both a conventional and a »compound« version. A CT scan was also performed on 34 of the 37 patients. The diameter of the aneurysm was measured in the anterior-posterior plane and in the transversal plane by two independent examiners, using both a conventional and a compound image. An independent radiologist measured the same two distances using the CT scans. Results: Interobserver differences between the two ultrasound examiners were small. There were also only small differences between the results of the CT scans and those of the ultrasound scans. There was no statistically significant difference in reproducibility between the conventional B-mode scans and those of the new compound imaging scanning method. Discussion: This study concludes that ultrasonic scanning is a precise method of measuring the size of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Spatial compound imaging does not seem to improve reproducibility or precision as compared to CT scans performed by experienced users.

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