Cost-effectiveness analysis of screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms based on five year results from a randomised hospital based mass screening trial

Background. The aim of this study was to estimate the cost effectiveness of screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Material and methods. All 12,639 men born in the years 1921-1933 (aged 64-73) living in Viborg County, Denmark, were randomly allocated either to receive an invitation to abdominal ultrasound scanning for AAA or to be controls. Costs for screening and surveillance were assessed prospectively. Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) costs from 1999 were used concerning admissions with uncomplicated and complicated operations. Admissions for AAA surgery were retrospectively classified according to complications in patient records. Results. Mean follow-up time was 52 months. 76.6% of invited men attended screening, and 191 (4.0%) had an AAA. As previously reported, the cumulative 5-year AAA-specific mortality in the invited group was significantly reduced by 67% compared to the control group (P=0.003). The costs were estimated to be EURO11.23 per scan. The costs per life-year saved were EURO9057 (EURO5872-20,063) after 5 years, and were expected to decrease to EURO2708 (EURO1758-6031) after 10 years and to EURO1825 (EURO1185-4063) after 15 years. Conclusion. Screening of 64-73 years old males in Denmark seems cost effective.