Objetivos: Determinar a prevalência das anormalidades do diâmetro da aorta infra-renal encontradas em necropsia e comparar a prevalência dos óbitos de origem cardiovascular entre os portadores de anomalias do diâmetro arterial e a população testemunho da amostra. Métodos: Entre os anos de 1992 e 1995, foram dissecadas as aortas abdominais de 645 indivíduos submetidos a necropsia, analisando-se as variações do diâmetro arterial nesse segmento. A fim de não subestimar o diâmetro aórtico, foi criado um dispositivo que distende a parede da aorta com pressão intraluminal controlada. Quanto ao diâmetro, as aortas foram consideradas normais, com aneurisma, ectasia, arteriomegalia ou hipoplasia. Resultados: Foram encontrados 29 (4,5%) aneurismas, sendo 25 íntegros, com diâmetro inferior a 5,0 cm, e quatro rotos, com diâmetro superior a 5,0 cm. Dezenove (2,9%) aortas apresentavam ectasia, 10 (1,6%) arteriomegalia e nenhuma apresentava hipoplasia. Os óbitos por doenças cardiovasculares foram mais freqüentes nos indivíduos portadores de aneurismas da aorta do que no grupo testemunho (P<0,05). Conclusões: A prevalência das anomalias do diâmetro aórtico infrarenal é alta em uma população submetida a necropsia. As dilatações aórticas identificam um grupo de indivíduos com alta probabilidade de óbito por doença cardiovascular.

Objectives: To establish the prevalence of anomalies of the infrarenal aortic diameter detected at necropsy and to compare the prevalence of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease between patients with anomaly of the arterial diameter and the control group. Methods: Between 1992 and 1995, 645 individuals who were submitted to necropsy had their abdominal aortas dissected. Variations of arterial diameter were analyzed in this segment. In order to avoid underestimation of the aortic diameter, a device that stretches the aortic wall by means of controlled intraluminal pressure was designed. With respect to the diameter, aortas were considered as normal, with aneurysm, ectasia, arteriomegaly or hypoplasia. Results: Twenty-nine (4.5%) aneurysms were detected, 25 of them were nonruptured aneurysms, with diameters smaller than 5.0 cm, and four were ruptured aneurysms, with diameters larger than 5.0 cm. Nineteen (2.9%) aortic arteries presented ectasia, 10 (1.6%) presented arteriomegaly, and there were no cases of hypoplasia. Deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases were more frequent in individuals with aortic aneurysms than in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions: The prevalence of anomalies of the infrarenal aortic diameter is high in a population submitted to necropsy. The aortic dilatations identified a group of individuals with high probability of death due to cardiovascular disease.