Pharmacological interventions to attenuate the expansion of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) - a systematic review.

Abstract

Is it possible by pharmacological methods to attenuate the expansion rate of abdominal aortic aneurysms? An Internet-based systematic literature search was performed to identify published reports on pharmacological methods to influence aneurysmal expansion rate. Of an original 450 articles, 21 remained to review: they included 15 cohort studies with 12,321 patients and seven randomised clinical trials (RCTs) with 1069 patients. Most studies are performed without a pre-study sample size calculation. There is no consistent pattern of pharmacological influence on expansion rate, but statins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and macrolides should be further evaluated. Properly designed RCTs are needed before conclusions can be drawn on the possibility to pharmacologically attenuate aneurysmal expansion and prevent rupture.