Age as High-Risk Factor in the Treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

During the last thirty years, a distinct increase in the frequency of operative treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has been caused by the overall increase in AAA, its more frequent diagnosis, progress in intensive care, and technical developments in vascular surgery. The mean age of the patients has risen over the same time to sixty-nine years. An analysis of the authors' patients with AAA reveals that resection of an aneurysm and interposition of a prosthesis represent nowadays, even in high-risk patients, the therapy of choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]