The Scottish Mail on Sunday

The aorta scan and how to get it

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IN LAST week’s column I answered a question from a reader who was worried her husband had missed out on his regular NHS screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms.

This triggered letters from readers who thought they too were missing out, having never even heard of such a thing.

So, to clarify: the programme – sometimes referred to as AAA screening – is a check to spot the first signs of a potentiall­y life-threatenin­g swelling in the main blood vessel that runs from the heart down through the chest and tummy, the aorta.

All men over 65 are invited for a one-off scan, to measure the size of the aorta, and only called for more regular checks if a problem is found. It’s important every man over 65 has at least one check – visit nhs.uk and search ‘AAA screening service’ to find where you can get one.

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