ENDOLUMINAL ABDOMINAL AORTIC-ANEURYSM SURGERY

Background The development of devices designed for the endoluminal rep air of abdominal aortic aneurysm has led to the emergence of new endov ascular techniques. Methods Articles and case reports obtained from a Medline search of the English language literature from 1989 to 1997 ar e reviewed. This search was carried out using the MeSH heading 'aortic aneurysm, abdominal' and the keywords 'endovascular' and 'endoluminal '. Results Reported mortality and complication rates for endoluminal a neurysm repair are similar to those following conventional repair, wit h the exception of continued perfusion of the aneurysm sac which remai ns a major problem following endoluminal repair. Conclusion Successful endoluminal aneurysm exclusion is associated with reduced aneurysm di ameter. However, longer term results of endoluminal repair, in particu lar of sealed endoleaks, are required before randomized controlled tri als of endoluminal versus conventional repair can be undertaken.