AAA ultrasound screening

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening uses a single bedside abdominal ultrasound to measure the maximum infrarenal aortic diameter; an aneurysm is defined as ≥3 cm. The 2019 USPSTF statement gives a Grade B recommendation for one-time screening in men aged 65–75 who have ever smoked (Grade C for never-smokers in the same age band, Grade D against routine screening in non-smoking women without family history). The recommendation is anchored by the UK Multicentre Aneurysm Screening Study (MASS), which showed a 48 percent relative reduction in AAA-related mortality at 10 years in invited men aged 65–74. Ultrasound is radiation-free, inexpensive and highly sensitive. Detected AAAs are followed by surveillance scans whose interval is set by diameter, with elective repair typically considered at ≥5.5 cm in men. In Germany, statutory health insurance has funded a single screening ultrasound for men aged 65 and older since 2018.