Moves to screen older men for one of the most common causes of sudden death after retirement have begun in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has commissioned an expert group to examine the costs and logistics of scanning all 65-year-old males for weaknesses in the main artery wall.

Calculations suggest these one-off checks could save up to 160 lives every year.

Nearly 8% of men and 1.3% of women aged 65 to 80 carry an abdominal aortic aneurysm - where the wall of the main artery in the abdomen weakens and balloons.

As the condition causes few symptoms, it often goes undiagnosed. Every year hundreds of people in Scotland die because the artery bursts without warning.

If the swollen wall is discovered in advance, surgeons can operate to prevent rupture, significantly reducing the risk of death.

Mr Stephen Kettlewell, consultant vascular surgeon at Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride, said: "Screening is extremely important. There are husbands and fathers who are going to die within the next month from this condition. Their chance of survival would be massively improved if they were screened and detected early."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The NHS are preparing a business case with options for the introduction of a screening programme.

"This is expected to be with ministers later this year and decisions will be taken after that."