Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms

Abstract

Rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm is responsible for 1.3 per cent of all deaths in men over 65 years of age'. The great majority of these deaths may be avoidable and are certainly premature since Fielding and his colleagues' have shown that patients who survive aortic rupture have a normal life expectation thereafter. Mortality of elective surgery for aortic aneurysms has decreased considerably in the 35 years since the first operation was performed3 and in many centres is now less than 5 per cent4x5. On the other hand operative mortality for ruptured aneurysms has barely changed and remains above 50 per cent in many s e r i e ~~. ~.