Abdominal aortic aneurysm combined with a second intraabdominal non vascular disease--a clinical study and surgical...

The surgical tactics in cases of aneurysm of the infrarenal abdominal aorta and a second intraperitoneal operative procedure are not uniform in the literature and still remain a matter of debate. In 170 aneurysms of the abdominal aorta there were 18/170 (10.5%) other co-existent surgical non-vascular diseases as follows: Thirteen cases with symptomatic or asymptomatic cholecystopathy, one case with abdominal hernia, three cases with Ca of the colon and one case with Ca of the liver. In 9 cases, the aneurysm and the gallbladder were removed concomitantly, in 3 cases only aneurysmectomy was carried out due to cardiopulmonary problems, of which in two cholecystectomy was carried out in a second stage. In one case with cholecystitis, the gallbladder was removed and aneurysmectomy followed one month after. Aneurysmectomy and sigmoidectomy were carried out in one case and in a second similar case sigmoidectomy preceded followed by aneurysmectomy 6 months later. In one case aneurysmectomy and restoration of the abdominal hernia was performed concomitantly, while two more cases, one with liver lobectomy and another with orthosigmoidectomy due to Ca. No one of the above patients presented with any infection of the graft or other postoperative complication. No other complications were noted during a follow-up period of 19 months. The one stage operation management of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm and a second (intra-abdominal) surgical procedure is feasible if appropriate care is given to the technical details and due consideration to the rules of antisepsis, without affecting surgical morbidity and mortality of the patient.