Ruptured AAA should be suspected in any person older than 60 who experiences collapse, unexplained low blood pressure, or sudden-onset back or abdominal pain. Abdominal pain, shock, and a pulsatile mass is only present in a minority of cases. Although an unstable person with a known aneurysm may undergo surgery without further imaging, the diagnosis will usually be confirmed using CT or ultrasound scanning.The suprarenal aorta normally measures about 0.5 cm larger than the infrarenal aorta. Differential diagnosis
Aortic aneurysm rupture may be mistaken for the pain of kidney stones, or muscle related back pain. Prevention
Smoking cessation
Treatment of hypertension

Screening
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends a single screening abdominal ultrasound for abdominal aortic aneurysm in males age 65 to 75 years who have a history of smoking. Among this group who does not smoke, screening may be selective. It is unclear if screening is useful in women who have smoked and the USPSTF recommend against screening in women who have never smoked.In the United Kingdom the NHS AAA Screening Programme invites men in England for screening during the year they turn 65. Men over 65 can contact the programme to arrange to be screened.In Sweden one time screening is recommended in all males over 65 years of age. This has been found to decrease the risk of death from AAA by 42% with a number needed to screen of just over 200.
Sneddons syndrome is a form of arteriopathy characterized by several symptoms, including:

Severe, transient neurological symptoms or stroke
Livedo reticularis, or livedo racemosa

Signs and symptoms
Sneddons syndrome generally manifests with stroke or severe, transient neurological symptoms, and a skin rash (livedo reticularis). Livedo reticularis appears as a bluish-purple, netlike mottling of the skin. Sneddons syndrome may instead present with livedo racemosa, which involves larger, less organized patches of bluish-purple mottling of the skin. Both are generally found first in the extremities, both worsen in cold and either may occur without Sneddons Syndrome or any other systemic disease.Sneddons Syndrome can be characterized by: transient amnesia, transient aphasia, palsy, headaches, hypertension, transient ischemic attacks (TIA), stroke, coronary disease and dementia. The skin manifestations may precede the neurologic symptoms by years. Pathogenesis
Sneddons syndrome is a progressive, noninflammatory arteriopathy leading to the characteristic skin condition and to cerebrovascular problems, including stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), severe but transient neurological symptoms thought to be caused by cerebral vasospasm, coronary disease and early-onset dementia. Progressive compromise of arterial linings in Sneddons produces clotting, for which high-dose warfarin is most commonly prescribed, and can also cause the development of systemic arterial plaque when cholesterol levels are normal. Diagnosis
There are no diagnostic tests on which all Sneddons patients will have abnormal results, although brain MRI and skin biopsy are often abnormal. The diagnosis is based on a detailed history and physical examination. About 40-60% of patients with the syndrome test positive for antiphospholipid antibodies.