ROUTINE ULTRASOUND SCREENING FOR ABDOMINAL AORTIC-ANEURYSM AMONG 65-YEAR-OLD AND 75-YEAR-OLD MEN IN A CITY OF 200,000 INHABITANTS

Unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is seldom recognized. Thus it is difficult to know whether the incidence of AAA in the general po pulation is high enough to warrant routine screening at least in men a fter a certain age. Ultrasound screening studies to evaluate the incid ence of AAA have been carried out in several English-speaking and Scan dinavian countries. The purpose of this report is to describe the resu lts of a study carried out in Belgium. All 65- and 75-year-old men liv ing in the city of Liege, Belgium, were given the opportunity to under go a free ultrasound examination. Only 41% of the target population wa s examined. AAA defined as abdominal aortic diameter of >30 mm was obs erved in 28 subjects (incidence: 3.8%). Mean abdominal aortic diameter was 34.7 mm. A diameter >29 mm was observed in 33 subjects (incidence 4.5%). Mean abdominal aortic diameter was 30.4 mm. On the basis of ep idemiological data collected, a high-risk population for AAA was ident ified. Arterial hypertension (p < 0.05), previous coronary artery surg ery (p < 0.05), and smoking (p < 0.06) were more common in subjects wi th than without AAA. The overall cost of screening was $18.175. The co st per AAA diagnosed was $551.00.