Hemodynamic findings before and after resection of abdominal aortic aneurysm

A preoperative and postoperative hemodynamic study was performed in 20 consecutive patients undergoing elective resection of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Screening for venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism with 125I uptake test, measurements of maximal venous emptying and pulmonary perfusion scintigraphy were also done before and after the operation. Only five patients complained of intermittent claudication preoperatively, but the laboratory investigations revealed signs of peripheral arterial insufficiency in 15 cases. Maximal venous emptying from the legs was markedly decreased on the first postoperative day and remained significantly below normal on the sixth day. Signs of postoperative thromboembolism appeared in eight patients. These patients did not differ from the others in regard to the pattern of maximal venous emptying. In the three-year follow-up period, the calf blood flow and the ratio of systolic toe pressure to systemic systolic blood pressure were further decreased, despite significant rise in systemic blood pressure.