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False diagnosis?

Posted , 6 users are following.

eric13466
eric13466

I was told after a routine ultrasound that there was a 4.1cm AAA in my abdomen. After waiting two long, painful weeks, where I nearly lost my s**t, the follow-up CT showed no Aneurysm. Can that be right? Should I be worried?

I have follow-up appointments with vascular surgeons to confirm, but curious if others have had this/seen this happen?

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • derek76
    derek76 eric13466

    Posted

    It happened to a relative of a friend of mine at Southampton hospital

    I don't understand how it can happen as the person doing the scan can see it on their screen and take measurements..Were you told this by the person who did the scan or in a follow up letter ? If it was a letter they may have mixed you up with another patient. Was your scan done as part of the national screening  programme ?

     

    • eric13466
      eric13466 derek76

      Posted

      My primary doc relayed both, but I saw the notes from both procedures and it was definitely me. She explained ultrasounds are not perfect, and pointed to a previous ultrasound done on me 4 years ago that did not call out any aneurysm. She told me to reconfirm with the surgeons, but that this could likely just be a bad US read. Given my fear of this thing, I’m concerned about the rug getting pulled out from under me. But shouldn’t  a CT be definitive? Especially if they are looking for a AAA?
    • 1108
      1108 eric13466

      Posted

      Ultrasounds are not perfect. On a different but similar situation for me, an ultrasound showed a 5.0 cm AAA. Had a CT done and in actuality the aneurysm was 6.3 cm. Getting the opinion of a vascular surgeon makes sense. They are the experts.
  • james48800
    james48800 eric13466

    Posted

    CTs are definitely more reliable than an echo/ultrasound, by a wide margin. Take it as good news. My aneurysm was found with a routine echo, but it turned out to be much smaller than the ultrasound found when the CT was done. Well, 2mm smaller, but that meant the difference between watching and waiting for maybe two or three years and immediate open heart surgery the following week. 

    Also, note that even if there is an aeurysm, 4.1cm is still fairly small, especially an abdominal one. Take that as a positive point too.

  • ericg753
    ericg753 eric13466

    Posted

     Hi Eric, I had the same thing happen to me. Go for a second or even a third opinion if you have to, you want to be absolutely sure about this.  From my initial diagnosis where I was told I have it then someone else said I don’t,  i went back to heavy weightlifting and once a month cigar smoking. By the grace of God,  the aneurysm hasn’t expanded. 

     I stopped the cigar smoking cold turkey over year ago, stopped with any type of weightlifting over a year ago, and have lost 40 pounds on Nutrisystem. I am feeling great, but always have to remember in the back of my mind to be very careful, not overexerting myself and making sure I follow up every three months with my cardiologist. 

     I work full-time managing IT at a large hospital, I scuba dive and like to spend time with my family and play with my dogs. This situation is scary, I’m not going to lie, but I decided to live my life enjoying it and not worrying so much about what may or may not happen. If and when the time comes , I’ll tackle it at that point and move forward. 

    • eric13466
      eric13466 ericg753

      Posted

      Eric, did your CT say you didn’t have it? That is scary. Yeah, getting a couple more opinions for sure.
    • ericg753
      ericg753 eric13466

      Posted

      Eric, my hospital cardio department said they didn’t see an aneurysm as the tests were “inconclusive”. I asked if that means I don’t have it, they “guessed” yes. Happy as a pig in sh*t, I went about my usual business for a couple of years until on 2 episodes I overexerted myself and could not catch my breath fast enough. Fearing I had mild heart attacks, I went to a 3rd and my current cardiologist who confirmed after EKG, stress test, ultrasound and CT Scan that I have a 4.4cm ascending aortic aneurism.  
    • eric13466
      eric13466 ericg753

      Posted

      I'm so sorry there was that turn-about, but it is still good they eventually caught it. I'm having two different docs at different hospitals, so while I'm hoping they both agree I'm fine, at least I'm upping my chances of catching something if it does exist.

      Can AAA's appear bigger at different times, does anyone know?

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