Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm presenting as groin pain.

Introduction R abdominal aortic aneurysm is a common preventable cause of death, responsible for approximately 5800 deaths in men and 3500 deaths in women in England and Wales in 1999, equivalent to 2.2% of all deaths in men aged 60 years and over and 1.2% of deaths in women over the age of 65 years.1 The prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm is increasing and has a male-to-female ratio of 6 to 1.2 Approximately 75% of abdominal aortic aneurysms will eventually rupture, an event associated with mortality in excess of 80%.2