THBS1 and dilated cardiomyopathy: To determine the changes in LH1 and thrombospondin-1 expression in the aortas of human AAA, we collected abdominal aortic specimens from 6 patients with AAA (abdominal aortas > 40 mm diameter) undergoing open aortic repair and aortic specimens from 6 control subjects who underwent heart transplantation for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or dilated cardiomyopathy but did not have AAA (abdominal aortas < 30 mm diameter).