Atherosclerosis in the abdominal aorta and its visceral branches: Associations with other manifestations of atherosclerosis in an autopsy study

Abstract

To ascertain the occurrence of atherosclerosis in the abdominal aorta and the initial portions of its branches, 120 consecutive postmortem examinations were made in the Tampere University Hospital. The mean age of the individuals had been 62 years. Macroscopic estimations were made of the extent and areal involvement of atherosclerosis in the abdominal aorta. The ostia and the narrowest intraluminal diameters of the first 3 cm of the celiac, superior mesenteric, inferior mesenteric, and renal and iliac arteries were determined with probes. Eighty patients (67%) had fibrous plaques or more severe signs of atherosclerosis in the abdominal aorta. Aortic atherosclerosis was strongly associated with aging. A significant association between aortic and coronary, cerebral and iliac arterial atherosclerosis was found. Thirty-five patients (29%) had stenosis in the celiac, superior mesenteric, or inferior mesenteric artery. Sixtyseven percent of the stenoses were a consequence of atherosclerosis in the aortic ostia of these arteries. Although many of the atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta are of little hemodynamic importance, they become clinically more significant when narrowing the ostia of visceral arterial branches.