  The rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is associated with a high
mortality. When an AAA ruptures, 50% of the patients die before reaching the
hospital. Of the patients that are able to reach the operating room, only 50%
have it successfully repaired (Fillinger et al, 2003). Therefore, it is
important to find good predictors for immediate risk of rupture. Clinically,
the size of the aneurysm is the variable vascular surgeons usually use to
evaluate this risk. Patients with large aneurysms are often sent to surgery.
However, many studies have shown that even small aneurysms can rupture and
deserve attention as well. It is important to find good predictors of rupture
that also avoid unnecessary surgery as all surgeries are associated with
possible complications. Here, we use data obtained from 144 computed
tomographies of patients from the Western Pennsylvania Allegheny Health System
to predict the high risk of rupture of an aneurysm and also to examine which
features are important for this goal.
