Recurrent femoral anastomotic aneurysms. A 30-year experience

Of the 1771 patients who underwent aortofemoral bypass grafting (AFB) during the 30-year period of 1957-1986, 43 noninfected recurrent femoral anastomotic aneurysms (RFAA) developed in 28 patients. Thirty-six RFAAs were treated surgically, with one death and no amputations occurring. Seven small RFAAs (less than 2.0 cm) were treated expectantly without complications. Using univariate and multivariate analyses, clinical characteristics and other factors influencing results in patients with RFAAs were compared to two control groups: patients who had undergone AFB without the development of femoral anastomotic aneurysms (FAAs) and patients who had undergone FAA repairs but without recurrence of FAA. Comparative analyses suggested: 1) local wound complications after initial AFB or FAA repair increased risk of a RFAA (p less than 0.03); 2) development of an FAA within 4.5 years after AFB increased risk of a RFAA (p less than 0.0002); 3) following an FAA repair, risk of a RFAA was almost three times greater for women than for men (p less than 0.05); and 4) patients with arteriosclerotic heart disease (ASHD) were less likely to develop RFAA than those without ASHD (p less than 0.05). Among the 20 additional variables analyzed--including hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and etiology of primary vascular disease--no statistically significant influence on the development of RFAAs could be detected.