Late results of surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm

We investigated the long-term survival and quality of life (QOL) of patients after abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair, in a retrospective study of 216 patients who underwent surgery at Nagoya University Hospital between 1980 and 1992. There were 189 elective operations and 27 emergency operations (22 ruptures and 5 impending ruptures). Complete follow-up information was available for 91% of the 200 patients who survived the surgery. Excluding operative deaths there was no significant difference in survival between patients who underwent elective or emergency surgery. The survival for both groups was close to that of age- and sex-matched cohorts. A significantly shorter survival time was found in patients over 75 than in those who were 74 or less (p<0.05). Preoperative heart disease or hypertension did not affect long-term survival rate. At the time of the last follow-up, 70% of the patients were quite healthy, and approximately 20% continued to work. We conclude that long-term survival after AAA repair is as good as that of the general population, and that survivors enjoy a good quality of life. However, there may have been preoperative selection for low risk patients in this study.