Totally laparoscopic abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Current experience with totally laparoscopic aortic aneurysm repair is reviewed with particular attention to the techniques of surgery. Vascular surgery has been slow to enter the field of minimally invasive surgery because of the unique difficulties of managing arterial anatomy with minimal access techniques. Laparoscopic instrumentation has undergone a stunning evolution, and surgeon experience with minimally invasive surgery has grown exponentially. This dramatic revolution has allowed several groups to perform laparoscopic aortic vascular surgery. The surgical approach that each group has taken has varied. The approaches have included both laparoscopically assisted and totally laparoscopic aortic surgery with both transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approaches to the aorta. A review of these varied techniques will be discussed and include our experience with totally laparoscopic aortic surgery. This experience includes both transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approaches to infrarenal aortic aneurysms. An extended discussion of our surgical technique for aneurysm bypass is included. Patient selection, patient positioning, and trocar placement are described. The pattern of surgery for both techniques is enumerated, and postoperative care is discussed. However, the world experience with minimally invasive vascular surgery remains small, therefore a wider acceptance will require a prospective, randomized trial that shows an equally as safe surgical approach as provided open vascular surgery. With its acceptance, minimally invasive vascular surgery should show the patient benefits that befall minimally invasive surgery patients.