Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening

FACTS

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are common - up to 8% of men and 1.5% of women aged over 60 years.

Acute rupture is common - 16% per annum for AAA > 55mm.

Surgical mortality is much lower for elective repair than acute - 1-6% compared with 30-60%.

At least six prospective trials of AAA screening have demonstrated a reduction in aneurysm deaths of up to 68%.

Almost all aortas can be accurately assessed by ultrasound, and most people only ever require one scan ie. AAA screening is cost-effective in terms of quality-adjusted life-years saved.

Risk factors include family history, hypertension, smoking, peripheral vascular and coronary heart disease.

RECOMMENDATIONS

AAA ultrasound should be a standard screening test for men and women 60 - 80 years of age (or >50yrs in the high risk group).

Recommended follow-up intervals depend on the diameter of the aorta, rate of expansion (if known), age and gender of the patient.

If there are multiple risk factors, especially strong family history, repeat at 10 years if the initial scan is normal.

HOW TO REFER

Use our normal booking procedures
Ask for "AAA Screen"

DATA MANAGEMENT

We nowl code and store AAA scan results to allow recall of those requiring ongoing monitoring. Patients with AAA found on other forms of imaging will also be entered.

Download AAA Brochure

Christchuch Vascular Group provide further valuable information on their website.