Endovascular techniques for the treatment of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms: 7-year intention-to-treat results

Objectives: The purpose of this single-institution study was to describe our 7-year intention-to-treat results, obtained with the use of endovascular techniques for the treatment of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA). Patients and Methods: From October 1998 until March 2005, a total of 28 patients were admitted or transferred to our department with an rAAA. They were all treated according to a management protocol of intention-to-treat with endovascular techniques. Twenty of the patients received endovascular treatment and the remaining 8 underwent an open surgery procedure. Results: The mortality rate of the endovascularly treated patients was 40% (8 in 20), whereas of the 8 surgical patients 3 survived (mortality = 62.5%). The overall mortality rate of the 28 patients admitted with an rAAA was 46.4% (13 of 28 patients). Conclusions: In our experience the intension-to-treat protocol for rAAA offered acceptable results in terms of mortality rates. Multi-center studies are necessary to establish the role of endovascular treatment in patients with rAAA.