[Emergency surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm--could an endovascular methods be considered?]

The endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is a minimally invasive method which can be performed without laparotomy, thoracotomy or cross-clamping. Little is known about the endovascular feasibility in patients with contained ruptures.

Retrospective study on 31 patients (mean age 70 +/- 6 years, 27 men (87.1%) and 4 (12.9%) women), who were treated for a ruptured aortic aneurysm between January 1996 and July 1998.

17/31 (55%) patients were hemodynamically stable. 14 patients were in severe shock and two died preoperatively. The operative mortality (two just after entering the abdomen) was 17% (5/29 patients) due to irreversible shock. A graft repair was performed in 27 patients. Preoperative CT scan was available in 12/31 (39%) patients. An infrarenal neck was present in all patients (length: 19 +/- 9 mm, internal diameter: 23 +/- 5 mm). The internal diameter of the external iliac artery was 10 +/- 2 mm. Six patients has an additional aneurysm of the common iliac artery, none of them bilaterally. In one patient infrarenal kinking of more than 90 degrees was detected.

In regard to the morphology, endovascular treatment would have been feasible in the majority of the patients where CT was already performed. Moreover, hemodynamic situation would have allowed to assess feasibility with a CT and perform endovascular treatment in most of patients with symptomatic or ruptured AAA. In conclusion, hemodynamically stable patients with symptomatic or leaking AAA should be investigated for endovascular repair.