Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm

Abstract

Guidelines are systematically developed statements to assist patients and providers in choosing appropriate health care for specific clinical conditions. Consensus exists across guidelines on one-time screening of elderly men to detect and treat abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) ≥5.5 cm. However, the recommendations regarding other age groups, imaging intervals for small AAAs, inclusion of women, and cost-effectiveness have not been universally adopted. As many countries are considering the initiation of an AAA screening program, this is an overview on the current status of such programs.