Aortic Screening
What is an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)?
The aorta is the main blood vessel coming from the heart through your chest and abdomen.
An AAA is a widening or bulge of the aorta as it passes through the abdomen.
What causes an AAA?
An abdominal aortic aneurysm occurs because the wall of the aorta becomes weakend and is more likely to occur if you are:
- Male and over 65 years
- You smoke
- You have a history of high blood pressure
- You have a family history of AAA
Around 4% of men between 65 and 74 in England have an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.
Is an AAA serious?
An abdominal aortic aneurysm causes the wall of the artery to become weakend and therefore susceptible to rupture. If this occurs it is potentially fatal and requires urgent medical attention.
If a small aneurysm is identified, regular checks can be arranged by your doctor to monitor its size. The frequency of these checks will depend on the size of the aneurysm.
You will be advised on what action can be taken to reduce the risk of the aneursym getting larger.
If a large aneurysm is seen your doctor will refer you to a specialist to discuss the treatment which is usually surgery, however not everyone found to have a large aneurysm will have surgery.
Do I need a referral letter from my Doctor?
You are welcome to refer yourself for this scan.
We will take your GP's details and forward a copy of the ultrasound report.
