Ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms in patients with atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease

The rapidly rising incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and the grave prognosis in cases of rupture call for early detection and operative intervention. However, there is as yet no consensus on which groups in the population should be selected for screening. Some Authors have suggested the screening of populations at risk by virtue of their age, sex and/or the presence of arterial hypertension, and report the incidence of AAA in these populations as 5.3%, 3.4% and 0.25%, respectively. In this study we screened a group of patients with atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease. Within this group the incidence of aneurysms was found to be 5.9%, which is at least twice the estimated incidence in the general population. Three of the six patients discovered, successfully underwent surgery. We conclude that screening of this specific population group is considerably more cost-effective than universal screening.