You will be given the results of your scan at the end of your appointment. Your doctor will also receive a copy of your results.
There are four possible results that you may get after your ultrasound scan.
If your aorta is less than 3 cm wide, this means you do not have an aneurysm.
You do not need treatment or monitoring. We will not invite you for AAA screening again. There are things you can do to keep healthy.
Small to medium AAA
If your abdominal aorta is between 3 and 4.4 cm wide, you have a small AAA.
If your abdominal aorta is between 4.5 and 5.4 cm wide, you have a medium AAA.
A small or medium AAA carries less risk of rupture than a large AAA.
We will invite you to have regular ultrasound scans to check the size of your AAA. How often you will need a scan will depend on the size of your AAA. You may also need medication, which will be prescribed by your doctor.
There are things you can do to keep healthy.
You can get more information from the Small to medium abdominal aortic aneurysms leaflet.
If your abdominal aorta is 5.5 cm wide or bigger you have a large AAA.
We will refer you to a specialist team at a hospital who will carry out more tests and talk with you about your options for treatment.
Treatment may include having an operation. Some AAA operations carry significant risks but the chances of recovery are much better if the operation is planned.
For a small number of men, an operation will not be possible.
Talk to your specialist team about the things you can do to keep healthy.
You can get more information about managing a large AAA from the Large abdominal aortic aneurysms leaflet.
In very rare cases the screener may not be able to see and measure your abdominal aorta. This is nothing for you to worry about. This may happen for a number of reasons and the screener will explain this to you during the screening appointment. You will be offered further scans.
An AAA nurse will contact you within five working days of your AAA scan. The nurse will discuss your result in more detail and give you advice on your general health and how other conditions may affect your AAA.
If you have a small AAA (3 to 4.4 cm wide) you will be invited every year for a monitoring scan.
If you have a medium AAA (4.5 to 5.4 cm wide) you will be invited every three months for a monitoring scan.
The AAA nurse will suggest that you to make an appointment to see your doctor to check your blood pressure and to talk about how you can keep healthy.
If you have a large AAA (5.5cm wide or more) an AAA nurse will contact you by phone within five days of your AAA scan. They will talk to you about your result in more detail and give you advice on your general health and how other conditions may affect your AAA.
A hospital specialist nurse will contact you. You will be sent a letter with an appointment to meet the hospital specialist team. They will offer advice and talk to you about your options for managing your AAA. The appointment will usually take place within two weeks of your scan. Please make sure that you are available during this time.
Treatment may include having an operation. Some AAA operations carry significant risks but the chances of recovery are much better if the operation is planned.
For a small number of men, an operation will not be possible.