Isolated iliac artery aneurysms: six-year experience

To review the experience of our institution in repairing isolated iliac artery aneurysm (isolated IAA) in the last six years.

The medical records of patients who underwent isolated IAA repair were reviewed, to obtain information on patients' demographics, vascular risk factors, type of treatment and outcome.

A total of 11 patients with 16 aneurysms, all men, with a mean age of 69.2+/-6.0 years were treated. The mean diameter was 3.7+/-1.0 cm (3.5+/-1.1 cm at elective repair; 5.7+/-2.9 cm on the emergency cases). The majority of aneurysms were at the common iliac artery and 27.3% of them were multiple. The diagnosis of multiple aneurysms was performed 10 years later, compared with the mean age of the diagnosis of single aneurysms, and this difference is statistically significant. Seven (63.6%) had elective operations, and one elective endovascular repair. Analysing the vascular risk factors, it was evident that hypertension was the most prevalent and the diagnosis of aneurysm was done 10 years sooner in the smoker patients. There was no postoperative death in this series. The mean follow-up period was of 21 months, and during it, one patient developed a non-infection anastomotic aneurysm of common femoral artery, one died with a myocardial infarction, one presented with limb graft thrombosis and another was lost.

This series contributes to a better characterization of a rare pathology demonstrating that both surgical and endovascular treatment can be performed with very low morbidity and mortality.