Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound
This is a short ultrasound that looks at one thing: the width of the main artery running through the abdomen, to find a bulge before it causes symptoms. It is a screening study in someone with no complaints, not a full abdominal ultrasound.
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What it is
The aorta is the body's largest artery, running from the heart down through the chest and abdomen. Where its wall weakens, it can balloon outward — an abdominal aortic aneurysm. It usually causes nothing at all until it tears, which is why it is looked for rather than waited for. This study is a focused ultrasound aimed at measuring the diameter of that vessel. A technologist runs a handheld probe over the abdomen with gel; sound waves bounce back and build a picture, and the aorta is measured across. Doppler may be added to show blood moving through it. It is limited in scope on purpose: this code is not the complete abdominal ultrasound that surveys the liver, gallbladder, kidneys, and spleen.
Why it is done
- To find an aortic aneurysm in someone who has no symptoms from it, at a point when it can still be watched or repaired electively
- Because ultrasound measures the vessel's width accurately without radiation, contrast, or needles
- To establish a baseline measurement that later scans can be compared against if something is found
What to expect
Patients are usually asked to fast for some hours beforehand, because gas in the bowel sits between the probe and the aorta and obscures it. You lie on your back, gel is spread on the abdomen, and the sonographer presses the probe in and moves it along the midline, sometimes asking you to hold a breath or roll slightly. It is painless apart from the pressure and takes only a few minutes of actual scanning. In some patients — particularly where there is a lot of overlying bowel gas or body tissue — the aorta cannot be seen fully, and a CT scan may be suggested instead. A radiologist reads the images and reports to the ordering clinician; if a bulge is found, follow-up imaging is arranged to watch it over time.
Questions worth asking
- Is this being billed as a screening study or a diagnostic one? The distinction often changes whether a deductible or copay applies.
- If something is found today, the follow-up scans will be diagnostic rather than screening — how are those covered?
- Is a full abdominal ultrasound being done at the same sitting, and would that be a separate, larger charge?
- Is the reading radiologist's fee included in the quoted price, or billed by a separate group?
What Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound costs by state
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Texas — 113 hospitals, median $430.21
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in California — 87 hospitals, median $512.64
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Florida — 78 hospitals, median $705.67
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Ohio — 65 hospitals, median $422.40
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Illinois — 50 hospitals, median $587.40
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Virginia — 43 hospitals, median $691.50
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Tennessee — 38 hospitals, median $101.55
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Wisconsin — 33 hospitals, median $380.00
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Washington — 32 hospitals, median $359.20
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Iowa — 30 hospitals, median $367.72
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Pennsylvania — 30 hospitals, median $288.00
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Michigan — 27 hospitals, median $432.00
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Indiana — 26 hospitals, median $331.20
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Georgia — 25 hospitals, median $606.00
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Kentucky — 22 hospitals, median $452.40
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in New York — 22 hospitals, median $125.84
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in New Jersey — 21 hospitals, median $147.34
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Missouri — 20 hospitals, median $212.30
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Minnesota — 19 hospitals, median $476.80
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Arizona — 17 hospitals, median $138.90
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Colorado — 17 hospitals, median $540.09
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in West Virginia — 17 hospitals, median $380.00
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Oklahoma — 16 hospitals, median $406.90
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in North Carolina — 15 hospitals, median $428.73
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Nebraska — 13 hospitals, median $199.50
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Oregon — 13 hospitals, median $402.00
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Kansas — 11 hospitals, median $666.09
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Mississippi — 11 hospitals, median $100.00
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $267.50
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Arkansas — 10 hospitals, median $325.00
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median $807.10
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in South Dakota — 6 hospitals, median $500.00
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Alaska — 5 hospitals, median $906.36
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Nevada — 4 hospitals, median $112.37
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in North Dakota — 4 hospitals, median $458.40
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Louisiana — 2 hospitals, median $237.90
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Maryland — 2 hospitals, median $339.60
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $287.20
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median $355.74
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Wyoming — 2 hospitals, median $321.41
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in Hawaii — 1 hospitals, median $292.50
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median $761.45
Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound prices at hospitals
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at Mercy Primary Care - Bernie, Bernie — $33.00
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at 26-1214372 NEA Baptist, Jonesboro — $45.22
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at Claiborne Medical Center, Tazewell — $46.76
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at LeConte Medical Center, Sevierville — $48.43
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at Parkwest Medical Center, Knoxville — $50.10
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at Morristown-Hamblen Hospital Association, Morristown — $50.10
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at Cumberland Medical Center, Inc., Crossville — $53.44
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at Roane County Medical Center, Harriman — $55.11
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at Fort Loudoun Medical Center, Lenoir City — $55.11
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, Knoxville — $55.11
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge — $55.11
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at Banner Heart Hospital, Mesa — $55.72
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at 64-0663760 BMH Booneville, Booneville — $58.56
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at 82-3844150 BMH Crittenden, West Memphis — $60.00
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at 64-0362400 Anderson Regional Main Campus, Meridian — $67.98
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at TWIN CITIES COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, Templeton — $70.07
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at Banner Goldfield Medical Center, Apache Junction — $70.84
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at 64-0682111 BMH DeSoto, Southaven — $76.40
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at 62-1138045 BMH Union City, Union City — $77.00
- Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound at AdventHealth New Smyrna Beach, New Smyrna Beach — $81.10
See every published price for Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound: the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.
Aortic Aneurysm Screening Ultrasound cost — see all prices →Sources
- RadiologyInfo (RSNA/ACR): Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
- Wikipedia (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)