Researchers from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, led by Professor Simon Thompson, Dr Michael Sweeting and Dr Katya Masconi, have published important conclusions about screening women for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in The Lancet. Funded and supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the study includes researchers from Imperial College London, the University of Leicester, the University of Sheffield and Brunel University London. 
 
In 2009, the NHS introduced ultrasound screening, in men aged 65 and over, to successfully detect and treat AAA, which arises when the main blood vessel swells in the abdomen, and is often symptomless until the point of rupture. The research group wanted to see if UK women, who are less likely to have AAAs, could also benefit from a similar screening programme. However, the Screening Women for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (SWAN) study found that for every 3,900 women invited for AAA screening, only 12 new AAAs would be detected preventing one AAA death at a cost to the NHS of £140,000. For more information about the project click here  or the NHS AAA screening programme click here.