National and international guidelines on screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm
| Organization | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (current guideline, 2017) | The task force has three recommendations on screening for AAA:
|
| Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (1991) (14) | In 1991, the task force concluded that the evidence on screening for AAA was insufficient to recommend for or against screening. |
| Canadian Society for Vascular Surgery (2008) (58) | The Canadian Society for Vascular Surgery recommends that national and provincial ministries of health develop a comprehensive population-based ultrasonography screening program for AAA detection and referral. This is an unrated recommendation. They further propose that all men aged 65 to 75 years be screened with ultrasonography for an AAA, with additional selective screening for those at high risk for AAA, including women older than 65 years at high risk owing to smoking, cardiovascular disease and family history; and men younger than 65 years with a family history of AAA. This is an unrated recommendation. |
| US Prevention Services Task Force (2014) (57) | The US Prevention Services Task Force recommends one-time screening for AAA with ultrasonography in men aged 65 to 75 years who have ever smoked. This is a grade B risk-based recommendation. The task force also recommends selectively screening for AAA in men of this age who have never smoked. This is a grade C risk-based recommendation. The task force concludes that current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for AAA in women aged 65 to 75 years who have ever smoked. This is a grade I recommendation, meaning no recommendation is made. Finally, they recommend against screening for AAA in women who have never smoked. This is a grade D recommendation, because the harms of screening for AAA in these women may be greater than potential benefits. |
| American College of Preventive Medicine (2011) (59) | The American College of Preventive Medicine recommends that men aged 65 to 75 years who have ever smoked should be screened for an AAA, while it recommends against routine screening for women. This is an unrated risk-based recommendation. |
| American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association (2006) (60) | The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recommend one-time screening for AAA in men aged 65 to 75 years who have ever smoked (Class I) and for men aged 60 years or older who have a family history of AAA (Class IIa). This is a grade B risk-based recommendation. |
| European Society for Vascular Surgery (2011) (61) | The European Society for Vascular Surgery recommends that men be screened for AAA at age 65 years. This is a grade A (level 1a) recommendation. Screening should be considered at an earlier age in men at higher risk — for example, those who smoke, have other cardiovascular disease, or have a family history of AAA. This is a grade C (level 4) risk-based recommendation. |
Note: AAA = abdominal aortic aneurysm.