The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 24, 241-244, Copyright © 1977 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Aneurysms of the abdominal aorta: whether or not, when, and whom?
F Robicsek
Recently, those who profess conservative views concerning management of
aneurysms of the abdominal aorta argued against operative treatment, saying
that the mere presence of an aneurysm is an indication that a patient often
suffers from an advanced, terminal stage of diffuse arteriosclerosis and
that operation in this patient is futile because it does not prolong life.
The experience reported here represents a contrary view. Four hundred and
eighty consecutive patients were followed from three to ten years
postoperatively. Although the survival rate of these patients was lower
than that of the general population of comparable age, it remained
significantly higher than that of patients with known aneurysms who did not
have the benefit of surgical treatment.
