Draft Recommendation Statement

Note: This draft Recommendation Statement is not the final recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. This draft is distributed solely for the purpose of pre-release review. It has not been disseminated otherwise by the USPSTF. It does not represent and should not be interpreted to represent a USPSTF determination or policy.

This draft Recommendation Statement is based on an evidence review that was published on January 28, 2014 (available athttp://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf14/abdoman/abdomanart.htm).

The USPSTF makes recommendations about the effectiveness of specific preventive care services for patients without related signs or symptoms.

It bases its recommendations on the evidence of both the benefits and harms of the service, and an assessment of the balance. The USPSTF does not consider the costs of providing a service in this assessment.

The USPSTF recognizes that clinical decisions involve more considerations than evidence alone. Clinicians should understand the evidence but individualize decisionmaking to the specific patient or situation. Similarly, the USPSTF notes that policy and coverage decisions involve considerations in addition to the evidence of clinical benefits and harms.

This draft Recommendation Statement is available for comment from January 28 until February 24, 2014 at 5:00 PM ET. You may wish to read the entire Recommendation Statement before you comment. A fact sheet that explains the draft recommendations in plain language is available here.

Screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement
DRAFT

Summary of Recommendations and Evidence

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends one-time screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) by ultrasonography in men ages 65 to 75 years who have ever smoked.

This is a B recommendation.

The USPSTF recommends that clinicians selectively offer screening for AAA in men ages 65 to 75 years who have never smoked rather than routinely screening all men in this group. Existing evidence indicates that the net benefit of screening all men ages 65 to 75 years who have never smoked is small. In determining whether this service is appropriate in individual cases, patients and clinicians should consider the balance of benefits and harms on the basis of evidence relevant to the patient's medical history, family history, other risk factors, and personal values.

This is a C recommendation. See the Clinical Considerations section for additional information on risk assessment.

The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for AAA in women ages 65 to 75 years who have ever smoked.

This is an I statement. See the Clinical Considerations section for suggestions for practice regarding the I statement.

The USPSTF recommends against routine screening for AAA in women who have never smoked.

This is a D recommendation.

These recommendations apply to asymptomatic adults age 50 years and older.

Table 1 describes the USPSTF grades, and Table 2 describes the USPSTF classification of levels of certainty about net benefit.