Eleven-Year Outcomes of a Screening Project for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) in 65-Year-Old Men

Saira Mauland Mansoor; Toril Rabben; Jonny Hisdal; Jørgen Joakim Jørgensen

doi:10.2147/VHRM.S412954

Eleven-Year Outcomes of a Screening Project for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) in 65-Year-Old Men

Vasc Health Risk Manag. 2023 Jul 17:19:459-467. doi: 10.2147/VHRM.S412954. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Saira Mauland Mansoor^{1

2}, Toril Rabben¹, Jonny Hisdal^{1

2}, Jørgen Joakim Jørgensen^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Vascular Surgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
² Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
³ Department of Traumatology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.

Abstract

Objective: Since 2011, the Department of Vascular Surgery at Oslo University Hospital has offered screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) to 65-year-old men living in Oslo, Norway. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the screening project on AAA-related mortality and rupture and repair rates in the screened population.

Methods: This cohort study included men that participated in AAA screening at the Department of Vascular Surgery at Oslo University Hospital in the period May 2011 to September 2019. All men with screen-detected AAA (aortic diameter ≥30 mm) and subaneurysmal aortic dilatation (aortic diameter 25-29 mm) were included. A stratified (1:1 with the subaneurysm group), randomized selection of men with normal aortic diameter (<25 mm) upon screening was also included. The follow-up data on events (ruptures, repairs, and deaths) after screening were collected retrospectively from patient electronic medical records at Oslo University Hospital, the National Population Register and the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry (CoDR).

Results: In total, 2048 men were included, with a median follow-up time of 7.1 years (IQR 3.8). Among men with screen-detected AAA, 0.6% died of AAA-related causes (0.9 AAA-related deaths per 1000 person-years). The rupture rate was 0.3% among men with screen-detected AAA or subaneurysmal aortic dilatation, giving an incidence of 0.5 ruptures per 1000 person-years. The overall repair rate in the AAA group was 20.6% (36.1 repairs per 1000 person-years) and 0.6% (0.9 repairs per 1000 person-years) in the subaneurysm group.

Conclusion: In a population screened for AAA, the incidence of rupture and the AAA-related mortality was very low. Almost one-fifth of the participants with screen-detected AAA underwent elective repair, representing a group that might have presented with rupture if untreated. These results indicate that screening is valuable in preventing AAA rupture and AAA-related mortality.

Keywords: AAA-related mortality; repair rate; rupture rate; subaneurysmal aortic dilatation.

MeSH terms

Age Factors
Aged
Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal* / diagnostic imaging
Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal* / epidemiology
Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal* / surgery
Aortic Rupture* / diagnostic imaging
Aortic Rupture* / epidemiology
Cohort Studies
Humans
Male
Mass Screening / methods
Retrospective Studies
Vascular Surgical Procedures