Correlation between abdominal aortic calcification volume and abdominal aortic diameter and their influencing factors

Background　At present, research on the correlation between abdominal aortic calcification volume and abdominal aortic diameter remains limited. A deeper investigation into this relationship is of great importance for predicting the risk of atherosclerotic vascular diseases. Objective　To analyze the correlation between abdominal aortic calcification volume and abdominal aortic diameter, and explore the factors associated with their relationship. Methods　Medical records of patients with renal cysts treated at the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2023 to January 2024 were retrospectively analyzed, the abdominal CT-derived volume of abdominal aortic calcification and the maximum minor-axis diameter of the infrarenal aorta were measured. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the associations between various factors with arterial calcification and aortic diameter. Results　A total of 200 patients were enrolled in this study, including 111 males (55.5%) and 89 females (44.5%). The mean age of the overall cohort was (62.0±8.1) years. The mean abdominal aortic diameter was (20.8±2.6) mm, and the median total abdominal aortic calcification volume was 526 (IQR: 179 - 1 515) mm3. Baseline analysis revealed that as the degree of abdominal aortic calcification increased, the abdominal aortic diameter significantly enlarged (Pfor trend=0.003). Multivariable regression analysis identified age, sex, smoking history, body surface area (BSA), C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum phosphorus as independent factors associated with abdominal aortic calcification volume (all P＜0.05). After adjusting for clinical confounders, the Log10 transformed total calcification volume remained significantly and independently positively correlated with abdominal aortic diameter (β= 1.07, 95% CI: 0.51 - 1.63, P＜0.001). Subgroup analyses confirmed a consistent positive association between abdominal aortic calcification and diameter across most subgroups, with no statistically significant interaction effects (all interaction P＞0.05), suggesting good consistency of this association across different population characteristics. Conclusion　 Abdominal aortic calcification is significantly associated with abdominal aortic diameter. AAC volume may serve as an important imaging marker reflecting abdominal aortic diameter and has potential clinical value for vascular remodeling assessment and related risk stratification.