Systematic review on abdominal aortic aneurysm screening cost-efficiency and methodological quality assessment

Area of Science:

• Vascular Surgery
• Public Health
• Health Economics

Background:

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a life-threatening condition often diagnosed late.
• Noninvasive diagnostics and effective treatments make AAA amenable to population screening.
• The economic impact of AAA screening requires thorough evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the cost-utility of screening versus no screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
• To assess the methodological quality of existing cost-utility studies on AAA screening.
• To inform the establishment of future national AAA screening programs.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of cost-utility and cost-effectiveness studies on AAA screening.
• Selection of studies based on PICOTS framework and Drummond and Caro's quality assessment criteria.
• Inclusion of studies published within the last 10 years with a time horizon of 10 years or more.

Main Results:

• Ten cost-utility studies met the inclusion criteria for exhaustive analysis.
• Most studies demonstrated adequate incremental cost-utility ratios from various national perspectives.
• Methodological quality assessments indicated some limitations but generally favorable responses to quality questionnaires.

Conclusions:

• Cost-utility findings support the implementation of national and regional AAA screening programs globally.
• Methodological evaluation is essential for future trials assessing the routine application of AAA screening programs.
• Evidence supports the economic rationale for expanding AAA screening initiatives.