Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) is known as the great masquerader in the elderly for good reason....
May look EXACTLY like a kidney stone
May cause vague abdominal and/or back pain....probably one of the reasons we scan older folks with abdominal pain. Presentations of AAA in the older patient may not be impressive!
May be associated with the "blue toe syndrome" (where mural thrombus flips distally and occludes small vessels in the feet and toes)
A pulsatile mass is frequently absent
10% of urology referrals for older (>65) patients with suspected kidney stones result in a diagnosis of AAA
