What is abdominal aortic aneurysm screening?
AAA screening is an ultrasound scan of the abdomen to measure the width of the aorta. It can detect whether there are any areas where the aorta is enlarged. This may indicate an aneurysm.
What happens during AAA screening?
You will have an ultrasound scan taken of your abdomen. Water based jelly is put on the skin and an ultrasound probe is moved across the skin surface. This usually takes about 10 minutes.
The scan is quick, painless and safe, and there is no need to undress.
 Who will carry out the screening test?
The scan is carried out by a specially trained sonographer or one of the London Vascular Group surgeons.
How will I get my result?
You will be given your result in writing before you leave. There will be time to discuss your result with the sonographer or vascular surgeon.
If you wish a copy of your result will be sent to your GP or referring specialist.
If your result shows that you do not have an aneurysm, you will not need to be screened again.
What if the scan shows I have an aneurysm?
95 out of 100 men screened will not have an aneurysm.
Most aneurysms are small. If you are found to have an aneurysm you will be able to discuss your result with the sonographer or vascular surgeon.
If you are found to have a small aneurysm you will be offered another scan to check whether it is increasing in size. How soon you need the repeat scan will depend on the size of the aneurysm, but is likely to be within a year or less.
If you are found to have a larger aneurysm you will be advised to discuss its treatment with a vascular surgeon. The London Vascular Group specialises in the treatment of AAA.
The surgeon will discuss with you the advantages and disadvantages of having an operation to repair the aneurysm, to prevent serious problems in the future.
If you need to have an operation you will need to consider a number of things. These include the size of the aneurysm, your general health and the risk that it might cause serious problems. Also the operation itself has a risk of side-effects or, in a very small number of cases, a patient may not survive the operation.
The risk of the operation has to be weighed against the risk of the aneurysm causing serious problems. The surgeon will discuss this with you.
How reliable is AAA screening?
Early detection of AAA through screening and surgical repair of the AAA, if needed, can reduce deaths by half.
Like other screening tests, it is not perfect, but we regularly check our results to make sure that the measurements are as accurate as possible.
In a small number of men (around 1 in every 100 screened) it may not be possible to get a clear picture of the aorta on the ultrasound scan. A further ultrasound scan may need to be arranged.
What happens to my scan result?
With your permission we will keep a record of all your scan results.
We regularly review screening results as part of our aim to offer you a quality service and to help increase the expertise of our specialist staff.
Like all medical records, your screening results will be treated confidentially.
London Vascular Group welcomes your enquiries regarding AAA screening, you may contact us via our web form or phone on 0207 234 2165
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