Abdominal artery aneurysm and associated surgical abdominal diseases: towards optimal timing

The purpose of this study was to assess which modalities offered the best timing in the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms associated with other abdominal surgical diseases. From January 1984 to December 2002, 372 patients underwent surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysms, 350 men (94%) and 22 women (6%), mean age 72 years. Of these 10% were operated on urgently. The traditional open technique was used in 307 patients, and the endovascular method in the remaining 65 cases. In 40 patients (11%) we observed other associated abdominal diseases which were treated during the same operation in 34 cases (85%). We had three deaths in the 34 cases treated in the same operation (9%). In the remaining cases no perioperative mortality was registered. There were no cases of prosthesis infection. The mean hospital stay was 9 days. Simultaneous treatment appears, on the one hand, to carry an increased operative risk and increased mortality and, on the other, to present the advantage of having to perform only one surgical procedure. The advent of the endovascular method allows us to postpone the treatment of the associated disease without increasing the technical difficulty of the second operation.