title: Endovascular techniques for the treatment of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms: 7-year intention-to-treat results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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).
  
  
  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.
authors.affiliation: 1st Unit of Vascular Surgery, Istituto Policlinico San Donato-School of Vascular Surgery, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. hdlns@freemail.gr
authors.forename: Ilias
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dalainas
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nano
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stegher
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Casana
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Malacrida
authors.forename: Domenico G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Tealdi
mesh_terms: D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D001027:Aortography; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome