Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm: is opportunistic detection a realistic alternative?
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) may be detected during investigation for concurrent disease and to assess whether opportunistic detection is a feasible alternative to a formal screening programme.


METHODS
A prospective review of previous investigations in subjects attending for aortic screening.


METHODS
276 men aged 65-80 attended the Chichester AAA screening programme. They were asked whether they had consulted their General Practitioner and whether they had undergone radiological investigation within the preceding 5 years.


RESULTS
Two-hundred and sixty-one subjects had consulted their General Practitioner (94.6%) within the past 5 years. Fifty-six patients had been investigated with radiological imaging: in 22 cases (8.0%) the investigation had the potential to detect an AAA. The opportunistic detection rate was 0.4% (one AAA) in comparison to 12.0% for the screening programme (33 AAA). Imaging investigations with the potential to pick up AAA failed to detect five out of six aneurysms in this group.


CONCLUSIONS
Opportunistic screening for AAA is not a realistic alternative to a formal screening programme but may improve the detection rate in the community.
Tisi
P V
PV
Department of Vascular Surgery, St. Richard's Hospital, Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.
McLain
A D
AD
Jeddy
T A
TA
Ashton
H A
HA
Scott
R A
RA
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005194:Family Practice; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D011315:Preventive Medicine; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D014463:Ultrasonography