Men are more likely to suffer an aortic aneurysm

The medics are now calling for the test - which identifies aortic aneurysms - to be rolled out nationwide.

The screening programme has been running for 13 years at an annual cost of �43,000.

Men aged 65 are tested using ultra-sound scans. It is thought a nationwide roll out would cost �50m a year.

Around 3,000 men are invited for screening each year and those who are found to have a potential problem are referred for further investigation.

Doctors involved in the Gloucestershire scheme wrote in the British Medical Journal: "The scientific arguments for a national screening programme for aneurysms are cogent.

"We believe that the UK's family doctor-based health system puts it in an ideal position to be the first country to start national screening."

The �50m figure was quoted in the journal by Professor Roger Greenhalgh, from Charing Cross Hospital.