{"id":55,"date":"2025-10-01T01:05:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T01:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/?page_id=55"},"modified":"2025-10-16T03:19:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T03:19:02","slug":"abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-screening","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/index.php\/abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-screening\/","title":{"rendered":"Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row&#8221; content_placement=&#8221;middle&#8221; equal_height=&#8221;yes&#8221; rtl_reverse=&#8221;yes&#8221; remove_bottom_col_margin=&#8221;true&#8221; columns_right=&#8221;yes&#8221; wpex_bg_color=&#8221;#03a3de&#8221; min_height=&#8221;350px&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;]<style>.vcex-image.vcex_69d075192db45 .vcex-image-img{object-position:right top;}<\/style><figure class=\"vcex-image vcex-module vcex-fill-column vcex_69d075192db45\"><div class=\"vcex-image-inner wpex-relative wpex-w-100 vc_custom_1760584737847\"><img width=\"1210\" height=\"657\" src=\"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Abdominal-aortic-Aortic-Aneurysm-Abdominal-Screening_-copy.webp\" class=\"vcex-image-img wpex-align-middle wpex-w-100\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Abdominal-aortic-Aortic-Aneurysm-Abdominal-Screening_-copy.webp 1210w, https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Abdominal-aortic-Aortic-Aneurysm-Abdominal-Screening_-copy-300x163.webp 300w, https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Abdominal-aortic-Aortic-Aneurysm-Abdominal-Screening_-copy-1024x556.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Abdominal-aortic-Aortic-Aneurysm-Abdominal-Screening_-copy-768x417.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1210px) 100vw, 1210px\" \/><\/div><\/figure>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1759279415994{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}&#8221; color=&#8221;#fefefe&#8221;]\n<h1><strong>Aortic Aneurysm<\/strong><br \/>\nScreening<\/h1>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1759015527111{margin-top: 60px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][vc_tta_tour controls_size=&#8221;md&#8221; active_section=&#8221;1&#8243;][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;What is aortic aneurysm screening and why is it important?&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1759012899351-dcaaabe1-cd5c8692-e7c1&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is aortic aneurysm screening and why is it important?<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/vascular-society.nz\/aortic-aneurysm\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"43\">Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA)\u00a0<\/a>are dilatations of the major artery (aorta) within the abdomen.\u00a0 They are a potentially fatal condition because the artery can sometimes burst and if this happens most patients will not survive.\u00a0Approximately 50-75% of patients with a ruptured aneurysm will die before they reach hospital.\u00a0 Of the survivors about one half will reach the operating theatre.\u00a0 Only about 40% of patients undergoing surgery will survive to 30 days.\u00a0 Most patients with a ruptured aortic aneurysm will not survive.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast if an aortic aneurysm is discovered before it bursts the risk of dying from planned surgery for an AAA is around3-5% (1 in 20-30) or less. \u00a0 This is still an important risk, but much lower than that of a ruptured aneurysm. The vast majority of patients having planned aortic aneurysm treatment will survive.<\/p>\n<p>The risk of an aortic aneurysm bursting is related to its size, which is usually measured as the maximum diameter on an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vascular-society.nz\/assessment-of-vascular-disease\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"121\">ultrasound scan\u00a0<\/a>(see below). The normal diameter of the aorta is approximately 20-25mm. Large aneurysms are more likely to rupture but two major studies have recently shown, that for small AAAs less than 55mm (5.5cms) in diameter, the risk of rupture is low at approximately 1% per year (1 in 100).\u00a0 Unfortunately, for most patients there are no symptoms that are caused by aortic aneurysms until they burst, so they are frequently not detected at a smaller diameter when they have much less risk of bursting.<\/p>\n<p>As aneurysms are a potentially serious condition much effort has been directed at trying to identify aneurysms when they are small and before they rupture.\u00a0 This is what an aneurysm screening programme will attempt to do.\u00a0 Screening programmes attempt to detect patients with aortic aneurysms when they are small and at low risk of rupture.\u00a0 They can then be monitored as they usually enlarge slowly over a period of years.\u00a0 Planned and safer treatment for the aortic aneurysm can then be arranged at an appropriate time<\/p>\n<p>The development of a screening programe for AAAs which would detect aneurysms at an early stage (&lt;5.5cms) when they are safe to monitor might avoid rupture in the majority of patients by giving these patients the opportunity of planned surgery to repair their aneurysm. Patients who smoke, who have high blood pressure or other vascular diseases such as cardiac or<a href=\"https:\/\/vascular-society.nz\/intermittent-claudication-pvd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"113\">\u00a0peripheral vascular disease<\/a>\u00a0are at increased risk of aneurysms.\u00a0There is also an increased risk of aneurysms if another member of the family is known to have an aneurysm.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Can screening programmes prevent aortic aneurysms?&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1759012899354-da1d8fff-c0988692-e7c1&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can screening programmes prevent aortic aneurysms?<\/h2>\n<p>Screening programmes cannot prevent aortic aneurysms. They can only identify aortic aneurysms and then depending on their size a decision can be made as to the best management of the aneurysm. Screening programmes are able to minimise the chances of an aortic aneurysm rupturing by treating it at an early stage.<\/p>\n<p>At present there is no known method of preventing aortic aneurysms. It may be possible to slow the expansion of aneurysms by treating standard vascular risk factors (see\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vascular-society.nz\/atherosclerosis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"119\">hardening of the arteries<\/a>).[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;When can a screening programme be successful?&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1759014772115-45b909ba-03388692-e7c1&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When can a screening programme be successful?<\/h2>\n<p>An effective screening programme for any disease has a number of requirements which are:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" type=\"1\">\n<li><strong>The disease should be an important health problem \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>AAAs account for approximately 400 deaths per year in New Zealand and the incidence of AAAs is increasing. It is a disease predominantly seen in men. A screening programme already exists for cervical cancer which claims the lives of approximately\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.immune.org.nz\/?t=914\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">60 New Zealand women\u00a0<\/a>per year.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The disease must have a high prevalence \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>AAAs are much more common in men and in certain high risk subgroups such as male first degree relatives of men with AAAs, such as brothers and fathers.\u00a0 AAAs increase in prevalence with age.\u00a0 AAAs are found in approximately 8% of men between 60 and 80 years old and are 6 times commoner in men than women.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The biological behaviour of the disease must be known<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 the natural history of AAAs is reasonably well understood.\u00a0 The rupture risk for AAAs less than 5.5cms (55mm) in diameter is approximately 1% per year.\u00a0 We now know from 2 major studies comparing early treatment with monitoring for small AAAs (&lt;5.5cms) that it is safe to avoid operation until the aneurysm has expanded to 5.5cms unless it is rapidly expanding or becomes symptomatic.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The disease has a screening test which is sensitive, specific, safe, cheap<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>and well tolerated \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Ultrasound scanning is a sensitive, specific, quick, painless and completely safe investigation for the detection of AAAs.\u00a0 It is the investigation of choice for aneurysm screening.\u00a0 A single normal ultrasound scan (aortic diameter &lt;26mm) at age 65 years will rule out significant aneurysm disease for life in men. Although clinical examination may detect an AAA, it is not very sensitive.\u00a0 In a study comparing ultrasound with clinical examination only 2 of 9 aneurysms found on imaging were detected by clinically experienced observers (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/2888954\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Allen et al 1987<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Effective and acceptable treatment must be available<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 effective treatment is freely available in the form of operative repair either by an open or endovascular technique depending on the shape of the aneurysm.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The screening programme must be cost effective \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>a large UK trial has calculated that it is cost effective to screen for AAAs in men and that the cost per year of life saved in the first 10 years was just \u00a37,600 (approx NZ$17,500). The cost-effectiveness of aneurysm screening is comparable with other screening programmes (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/338\/bmj.b2307.pdf+html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thompson SG et al 2009<\/a>) with a cost per life-year gained one third of the published cost per life year gained with breast cancer screening or colorectal cancer screening and one eighth the cost per life-year saved with cervical cancer screening. However there is still debate on whether screening is cost effective (Ehlers et al 2009).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-58\" src=\"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAUSS1website-2-1536x1028-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1028\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAUSS1website-2-1536x1028-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAUSS1website-2-1536x1028-1-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAUSS1website-2-1536x1028-1-1024x685.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAUSS1website-2-1536x1028-1-768x514.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-59\" src=\"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAUSSwebsite-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1242\" height=\"848\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAUSSwebsite-1.jpg 1242w, https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAUSSwebsite-1-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAUSSwebsite-1-1024x699.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAUSSwebsite-1-768x524.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1242px) 100vw, 1242px\" \/>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;What will happen if I agree to screening for aortic aneurysm?&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1759014806183-f54d1997-de0b8692-e7c1&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What will happen if I agree to screening for aortic aneurysm?<\/h2>\n<p>At present in New Zealand there is no screening programme. If a screening programme were to be developed it might work as described below. You would be invited to attend for a free ultrasound scan if you were a man between the ages of 65 and 74 yrs old. An ultrasound scan is a scan commonly used to examine the baby during pregnancy. It is safe and painless and usually will only take a few minutes to determine whether an AAA is present. Examples of ultrasound scans are shown in the black, white and blue images. Patients with a normal scan will not usually need any further follow up.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;What happens if the ultrasound finds an aortic aneurysm?&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1759014827533-6ef99622-00a98692-e7c1&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happens if the ultrasound finds an aortic aneurysm?<\/h2>\n<p>If an aortic aneurysm is identified, the next step will depend on the size of the aneurysm.\u00a0 Patients with AAAs less than 4cms in diameter would require scans at 2-5 year intervals. For aneurysms from 4-4.4cms scans would be annually. For aneurysms of 4.5-4.9cms scans would be at at 3-6 monthly intervals. For AAAs 5-5.4cms scans at 3 monthly intervals are needed.\u00a0 Some authorities advocate 3 monthly scans once the aneurysm reaches 4.5cms. Once an aneurysm has reached 5.5cms consideration should be given to treating the aneurysm and this will be appropriate in most patients.\u00a0In some patients with other conditions that make treatment more hazardous it may be appropriate to wait until the aneurysm has enlarged further.\u00a0 This is because it is always important to balance the risk of treatment against the risk of rupture of the aneurysm. Although the risk of rupture may be slightly greater if an aneurysm is left until it is larger it may still be safer when compared with the surgical risk.<\/p>\n<p>Patients whose AAAs are less than 5.5cms would not be offered treatment unless the AAA was rapidly expanding at more than 1 cm per year or became symptomatic. This is because at the smaller size it is as safe to monitor aneurysms as it is to repair them surgically.\u00a0 It is impossible to prevent all ruptures but screening will reduce this to a minimum.\u00a0 We also know that for small aneurysms that are regularly monitored approximately 60% of patients overall will eventually need surgery.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;What is the evidence to support aortic aneurysm screening?&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1759014855534-cd1bf395-e3558692-e7c1&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the evidence to support aortic aneurysm screening?<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/12443589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Multicentre Aneurysm Screening Study (MASS) funded by the UK Medical Research Council\u00a0<\/a>recuited 67,770 men aged 65-74 years and randomised them to ultrasound screening for aneurysm or no screening.\u00a0 Of the men who attended for an ultrasound 4.9% had an AAA more than 3cms (1334 aneurysms in 33883 screened). After 10 years of follow-up there was a 48% relative risk reduction in the risk of death from aneurysm rupture in the patients screened with an ultrasound scan (absolute risk reduction 0.87% to 0.41%).\u00a0 An<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/12734854\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u00a0editorial<\/a>\u00a0in the British Journal of Surgery called for the widespread introduction of aneurysm screening in the UK and a national UK programme is currently underway. Although there is good evidence for aneurysm screening from the UK this data may not apply to other countries with different ethnic mixes and possibly different susceptibility and risk of developing an aneurysm.<\/p>\n<p>A recent study from New Zealand (NZ) (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21381003\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sandiford, Mosquera and Bramley 2011<\/a>) comparing aortic aneurysm data from NZ and the UK indicates that the incidence of aortic aneurysms appears to be falling and this started in the late 1990s. A falling incidence of aneurysmal disease could have significant implications for the viability of a screening programme and so more work is required in NZ to clarify exactly which patients could benefit the most from such a programme. There appear to be similar trends in the UK, Sweden and Australia with regard to falling numbers of aneurysms.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Is aortic aneurysm screening taking place in other countries?&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1759014887716-648cb14b-00198692-e7c1&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is aortic aneurysm screening taking place in other countries?<\/h2>\n<p>In the UK the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/aaa.screening.nhs.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">national screening body<\/a>\u00a0is rolling out screening across England.\u00a0 All men will be invited for screening when they turn 65 years old. The image below is a screenshot of the UK NHS screening website. There are no other nationally funded screening programmes for aortic aneurysm. There is also a detailed leaflet for GPs with information on how\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/aaa.screening.nhs.uk\/\">screening is to take place in the UK and how follow-up will take place.<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Should women be screened for aortic aneurysm?&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1759014929506-4e94bf49-783d8692-e7c1&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Should women be screened for aortic aneurysm?<\/h2>\n<p>Screening studies target men because aortic aneurysms affect men much more commonly.\u00a0 There is some evidence that screening for women may also be cost effective because of their longer life expectancy and increased risk of rupture (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/16678681\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wahhainen A, 2006<\/a>).\u00a0 Aneurysms in women, when they do occur, seem to enlarge slightly faster than in men (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/17262754\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mofidi R et al, 2007<\/a>). At present because of the lower incidence of aneurysms in women there are no proposals for screening programmes to include women, although Maori women seem to have a higher risk of aneurysmal disease and mortality (<a href=\"http:\/\/jech.bmj.com\/content\/early\/2012\/07\/04\/jech-2011-200754.abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sandiford et al, 2012<\/a>).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Age Grp<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Maori<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Non-Maori<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Total<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>65-69<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>120<\/td>\n<td>1875<\/td>\n<td>1995<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>70-74<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>69<\/td>\n<td>1716<\/td>\n<td>1785<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><figcaption>An example of how aortic aneurysm screening might work in Taranaki, New Zealand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To give an example of what could be achieved with a screening programme I have worked out approximate screening numbers for Taranaki based on 2001 census data.\u00a0 In men 65-74yrs old the programme would screen approximately 3780 men. Approximately 148 (4.9%) aneurysms in 3024 men would be identified assuming 80% of men accepted the invitation to be screened.\u00a0 In 105 (71%) of these AAAs the diameter would be between 3-4.4cms.\u00a0 Twenty five (17%) would be medium size AAAs (4.5-5.4cms) and 18 (12%) would be large aneurysms (5.5cms or greater).[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Useful links&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1759281040956-29a881d8-7652&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Useful links<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/aaa.screening.nhs.uk\/\">http:\/\/aaa.screening.nhs.uk\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/eclips.consult.com\/eclips\/article\/Vascular%20Surgery\/S0749-4041(09)79266-8?source=rss\">http:\/\/eclips.consult.com\/eclips\/article\/Vascular%20Surgery\/S0749-4041(09)79266-8?source=rss<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.medicine.ox.ac.uk\/bandolier\/band27\/b27-3.html\">http:\/\/www.medicine.ox.ac.uk\/bandolier\/band27\/b27-3.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org\/uspstf\/uspsaneu.htm\">http:\/\/www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org\/uspstf\/uspsaneu.htm<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;References&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1759015003224-6e58c0d1-e0df8692-e7c1&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h2>References<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/9853436\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The UK Small Aneurysm Trial Participants.\u00a0 Mortality results for randomised controlled trial of early elective surgery or ultrasonographic surveillance for small abdominal aortic aneurysms.<\/a>Lancet 1998; 352: 1649-1655.<a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/91\/9\/2488.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/12000813\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lederle FA, Wilson SE, Johnson GR et al.\u00a0 Immediate repair compared with surveillance of small abdominal aortic aneurysms.\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/91\/9\/2488.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u00a0New Engl J Med 2002; 346: 1437-1444.<br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/9135233\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cheatle TR.\u00a0 The case against a national screening programme for aortic aneurysms.<\/a>Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 1997; 79: 90-95.<a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/91\/9\/2488.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1046\/j.1365-2168.1998.00814.x\/abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Boll APM, Verbeek ALM, Van de Lisdonk EH, Van der Vliet JA.\u00a0 High prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm in a primary care screening programme.<\/a>Brit J Surg 1998; 85: 1090-1094.<a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/91\/9\/2488.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/2888954\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Allen PIM, Gourevitch D, McKinley J, Tudway D, Goldman M.\u00a0 Population screening for aortic aneurysms.<\/a>\u00a0Lancet 1987; 736.<a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/91\/9\/2488.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/11442524\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Crow P, Shaw E, Earnshaw JJ, Poskitt KR, Whyman MR, Heather BP. A single normal ultrasonographic scan at age 65 years rules out significant aneurysm disease for life in men.<\/a>Brit J Surg 2001; 88: 941-944.<a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/91\/9\/2488.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/2667691\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bengtsson H, Norrgard O, Angquist KA, Ekberg O, Oberg L, Bergqvist D.\u00a0 Ultrasonographic screening of the abdominal aorta among siblings of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms.<\/a> Br J Surg 1989; 76: 589-591.<a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/91\/9\/2488.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/12443589\">The Multicentre Aneurysm Screening Study Group (MASS) into the effect of abdominal aortic aneurysm screening on mortality in men: a randomised controlled trial.<\/a>Lancet 2002; 360: 1531-1539.<a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/91\/9\/2488.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/12734854\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Beard JD. Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm.<\/a>\u00a0Brit J Surg 2003; 90: 515-516.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21381003\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sandiford P, Mosquera D, Bramley D. 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Ethnic inequalities in incidence, survival and mortality from abdominal aortic aneurysm in New Zealand.<\/a>\u00a0J Epidemiol Commun Health 2012; doi:10.1136\/jech-2011-200754 published online first.<a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/91\/9\/2488.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/330\/7494\/750.pdf+html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lindholt JS, Juul S, Fasting H, Hennegberg EW. Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms: single centre randomised controlled trial.<\/a>\u00a0Brit Med J 2005; 330: 750-754.<a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/91\/9\/2488.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19553267\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ehlers L et al. Analysis of cost effectiveness of screening Danish men aged 65 for abdominal aortic aneurysm.<\/a>Brit Med J 2009; 338: 1542-1544.<a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/91\/9\/2488.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/328\/7448\/1087\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Greenhalgh RM. National screening programme for aortic aneurysm.<\/a>Brit Med J; 2004: 1087-88.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_tour][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row&#8221; content_placement=&#8221;middle&#8221; equal_height=&#8221;yes&#8221; rtl_reverse=&#8221;yes&#8221; remove_bottom_col_margin=&#8221;true&#8221; columns_right=&#8221;yes&#8221; wpex_bg_color=&#8221;#03a3de&#8221; min_height=&#8221;350px&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1759279415994{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}&#8221; color=&#8221;#fefefe&#8221;] Aortic Aneurysm Screening [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1759015527111{margin-top: 60px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][vc_tta_tour controls_size=&#8221;md&#8221; active_section=&#8221;1&#8243;][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;What is aortic aneurysm screening and why is it important?&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1759012899351-dcaaabe1-cd5c8692-e7c1&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;] What is aortic aneurysm screening and why is it important? Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA)\u00a0are dilatations of the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-55","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry","no-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/55","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/55\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":228,"href":"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/55\/revisions\/228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmcdeploytwo.co.nz\/vsoanz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}