Surgical treatment of atherosclerotic infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. A review of 30 years' experience.

During the 30 years from 1960 to 1989, 100 sequential patients with atherosclerotic infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) were admitted to Zhongshan Hospital. Twenty-eight were not treated surgically and 72 underwent resection of the AAA with prosthesis replacement. Nineteen non-surgical patient were followed up, and 8 died from ruptures with a five-year survival rate of 41.3 +/- 13%. In 72 surgically treated patients, the operative mortality was 2.8%. The five-year survival rate is 77.5 +/- 6.2%, which is higher in comparison with the non-surgical group (P < 0.01). The data show that the operation for AAA is safe and the postoperative long-term results are satisfactory.