Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening is a way of checking if there's a bulge or swelling in the aorta, the main blood vessel that runs from your heart down through your tummy.

This bulge or swelling is called an abdominal aortic aneurysm, or AAA. It can be serious if it's not spotted early on because it could get bigger and eventually burst (rupture).

This page covers:

Who's screened for AAA

How to get screened

Benefits of screening

Deciding to be screened

What happens

Results

Who's screened for AAA

In England, screening for AAA is offered to men during the year they turn 65.

Men aged 65 or over are most at risk of AAAs. Screening can help spot a swelling in the aorta early on when it can be treated.

Read more about the benefits of AAA screening.

Screening for AAA isn't routinely offered to:

• women
• men under 65
• people who've already been treated for an AAA

This is because the risk of an AAA is much smaller in these groups.

You can ask for a scan to check for an AAA if you think you might need one but haven't been offered a screening test.

Read more about how to get screened.

How to get screened for AAA

If you're a man and you're registered with a GP, you'll get a screening invitation in the post when you're 64 or soon after your 65th birthday. You can then arrange an appointment that suits you.

If you're a man over 65 and you haven't been screened before, you can ask for a test by contacting your local AAA screening service directly.

If you're a woman or man under 65 and you think you might have a higher risk of AAA – for example, because a close family member has had one – talk to your GP about the possibility of having a scan to check for an AAA.

If your GP thinks you might benefit from having a scan, this will usually be done when you're five years younger than the age at which your relative was found to have an AAA.

Benefits of AAA screening

An AAA will often cause few or no obvious symptoms, but if it's left to get bigger it could burst and cause life-threatening bleeding inside your tummy.

About 8 in every 10 people who have a burst AAA die before they get to hospital or don't survive emergency surgery to repair it.

Screening can pick up an AAA before it bursts. If an AAA is found, you can then choose to have regular scans to monitor it or surgery to stop it bursting.

The screening test is very quick, painless and reliable. Research suggests it can halve the risk of dying from an AAA.

Deciding to be screened

It's up to you to decide if you want to be screened for AAA. While there are clear benefits of screening, you should also consider the possible risks.

There's no risk from the screening test itself, but there is a risk of:

• anxiety from being told you have a life-threatening condition
• serious complications of surgery carried out to treat an AAA

You'll get a leaflet with your screening invitation to help you make a decision. You can also read a decision aid leaflet (PDF, 96kb) online.

Call your local screening service and ask to be removed from its list if you don't want to be screened.  

What happens during AAA screening

Screening for AAA involves a quick and painless ultrasound scan of your tummy.

This is similar to the scan pregnant women have to check on their baby.

When you arrive for your appointment, a screening technician will check your details, explain the scan and ask if you have any questions.

For the scan:

• you lie down on a table and lift up or unbutton your top (you don't need to undress)
• the technician rubs a clear gel on your tummy and moves a small handheld scanner over your skin – pictures from the scanner are shown on a monitor and the technician will measure how wide your aorta is
• the gel is wiped away and you pull down or button up your top
• the technician tells you the result straight away 

The whole test usually takes about 10-15 minutes.

Sometimes the technician might not be able to see your aorta clearly. This isn't anything to worry about. If this happens, you'll be asked to have another scan, usually on a different day.

Read more about what AAA screening results mean.

Results of AAA screening

You'll be told your result at the end of the test. If any problem is found, you'll also be a sent letter confirming the result and letting you know what happens next.

There are four possible screening results.

Normal

A normal result means your aorta isn't swollen (it's less than 3cm across) and you don't have an AAA. More than 98% of men screened have a normal result.

If your result is normal, you won't need any further scans or treatment because an AAA grows slowly and the chances of you developing one after 65 are very small.

Small AAA

If you have a small AAA, this means your aorta measures 3cm to 4.4cm across. Just over 1% of men screened have a small AAA.

You won't need any treatment at this stage as the chance of the AAA bursting is small. You'll be invited back for a scan every year to check its size. Treatment will usually only be needed if it becomes a large AAA.

You'll also be given advice on how you can stop an AAA getting bigger, such as stopping smoking, eating healthily and exercising regularly.

Read a leaflet on small AAA (PDF, 2.3Mb) for more information.

Medium AAA

If you have a medium AAA, this means your aorta measures 4.5cm to 5.4cm across. About 0.5% of men screened have a medium AAA.

You won't need any treatment at this stage as the chance of the AAA bursting is small. You'll be invited back for a scan every three months to check its size. Treatment will usually only be needed if it becomes a large AAA.

You'll also be given advice on how you can stop an AAA getting bigger, such as stopping smoking, eating healthily and exercising regularly.

Read a leaflet on medium AAA (PDF, 2.3Mb) for more information.

Large AAA

If you have a large AAA, this means your aorta measures 5.5cm or more across. About 0.1% of men screened have a large AAA.

As large AAAs are at the highest risk of bursting if left untreated, you'll be referred to a specialist surgeon within two weeks to talk about your treatment options.

Most men with a large AAA are advised to have surgery to stop it getting bigger or bursting.

While surgery carries a risk of serious complications, this is generally smaller than the risk of not treating a large AAA.

Read a leaflet on large AAA (PDF, 2.2Mb) for more information and read about how a large AAA is treated.

Is abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening offered outside England?

What happens if I'm a man over 65 and haven't been screened?

Can women and men under 65 be screened?

Can I drive if I have an AAA?

Can I fly if I have an AAA?

Can I get travel insurance if I have an AAA?

What permission do I need to give to be screened and what personal information will be stored?

Could I find out about other health problems as a result of AAA screening?

Is AAA screening offered outside England?

AAA screening programmes have been set up in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

For more information, see:

• Northern Ireland: NI Direct AAA screening
• Scotland: NHS Inform AAA screening
• Wales: NHS Wales AAA Screening Programme

What happens if I'm a man over 65 and haven't been screened?

If you're a man over 65 and you haven't been screened before, you can contact your local screening service to ask for a scan without going through your GP.

Can women and men under 65 be screened?

AAA screening isn't routinely offered to women and men under 65 because most burst AAAs occur in men over 65. Men are six times more likely to have an AAA than women.

There's not enough evidence to suggest that screening women and younger men would deliver major benefits.

But if you think you might be at an increased risk of AAA – for example, because a close family member has had one – talk to your GP about the possibility of having a scan to check for an AAA.

If your GP feels you might benefit from having a scan, this will usually be done when you're five years younger than the age at which your relative was found to have an AAA.

If you have a family history of AAA, you should take the usual health precautions of not smoking, eating healthily, and exercising regularly. Read more about how to reduce your risk of an AAA.

Can I drive if I have an AAA?

You may need to tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if you have an AAA. You may need to stop driving if it's large.

The DVLA say:

• car and motorcycle drivers must tell the DVLA if their AAA measures more than 6cm and stop driving if it reaches 6.5cm
• bus, coach and lorry drivers must tell the DVLA if they have an AAA of any size and stop driving if it reaches 5.5cm

You can usually drive again once your AAA has been treated. The GOV.UK website has more on how to tell the DVLA about an AAA.

Ask your GP if you're not sure if you need to inform the DVLA about your AAA or temporarily stop driving.

Having an AAA shouldn't affect your car insurance premium.

Can I fly if I have an AAA?

It's safe to travel by plane if you have an AAA. They're no more likely to burst at a high altitude than on the ground.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has been advised of this and it's not aware of any airlines that refuse people with an AAA.

Can I get travel insurance if I have an AAA?

The ABI is unaware of any travel insurance policies that specifically exclude AAAs as part of their standard wording. 

They suggest that anyone with an AAA should declare it during the application process (or when it's diagnosed, if you already have a travel insurance policy).

If you declare an AAA, you may be asked if you:

• have had surgery (and if so, when you had it)
• are on a waiting list for surgery
• have any other related health conditions

You may be charged an additional premium or have the condition excluded from your cover.

When looking for cover, a broker can help. The British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) operates a find a broker service that can help – they can be contacted on 0370 950 1790.

What permission do I need to give to be screened and what personal information will be stored?

At the screening clinic, you'll be asked to give permission:

• for the programme to store and keep information about you and your visit on the national AAA screening IT system, and to use this information to help offer safe and effective screening
• for the programme to screen you for an AAA (which involves a scan of your tummy) and to tell you the result
• if you're found to have an AAA, to share your personal information with a vascular surgeon through the National Vascular Registry

You'll only be screened if you give consent to all three points.

You'll also be asked if the screening programme can use your information to contact you in the future about research that's going on in the programme. You don't have to give permission for this to be screened.

For more information, the screening programme has produced a leaflet on how your personal information is used (PDF, 31kb).

Could I find out about other health problems as a result of AAA screening?

No. During the screening scan the technician only looks at your aorta to check if you have an AAA. They don't check for any other health conditions.

If you have any concerns about your health, speak to your GP.