Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Screening

1. Randomized controlled or modeling studies assessing the effectiveness of screening for AAA in women who smoke and in men and women with a family history of AAA.
2. Well-conducted cohort studies examining rescreening benefits (including growth rates and health outcomes) for persons who initially screen negative for AAA to determine the benefit and timing of additional screening ultrasonography.
3. Epidemiologic studies on the current prevalence of AAA in the United States, including in subpopulations.
4. Studies, especially those using genetic markers, to assess the validation of risk-scoring tools to identify patients most likely to benefit from screening for AAA.
5. Well-designed studies, RCTs, or registry data on the thresholds for repair of AAA in women to inform the benefits and harms of screening in women, as evidence suggests that AAAs in women may rupture at a smaller size than in men.
6. Studies examining systems approaches to improving implementation of evidence-based AAA screening in the United States
7. Studies examining the efficacy of screening and treatment in diverse populations (e.g., older adults, women, and racial/ethnic groups) to inform the need for specific recommendations in subpopulations.

The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for AAA with ultrasonography in women aged 65 to 75 years who have ever smoked or have a family history of AAA.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Screening Read full statement