[Clinical signs and therapy of the abdominal aortic aneurysm (author's transl)].

The abdominal, infrarenal aneurysm of the aorta shows a very unfavorable spontaneous outcome. Therefore, every patient should be operated on without delay. The surgical procedure consists of a partial resection of the aneurysm and the reconstruction of the vascular flow by means of a synthetic prosthesis. The most dangerous complication of the aneurysm is its rupture. Emergency surgery of a ruptured aneurysm is accompanied by essentially higher risks: The mortality rate lies between 34 and 90%. The prognosis of the operation varies with the patient's age, coronary sclerosis, and renal insufficiency. The diagnosis of the aneurysm can clearly be made with sonography, angiography, and computer tomography. In the case of a ruptured aneurysm, clinical signs are of primary importance. Angiography is not indicated here. From May 1969 until November 1976, 41 patients were operated on in our clinic: 23 electively and 18 after rupture. The mortality rate of the elective cases amounted to 17% and that of the ruptured to 72%.