Early prognostic factors of the surgery of aneurysms of the abdominal aorta with renal artery clamping]

The aneurysms of the abdominal aorta requiring suprarenal clamping are rare. Suprarenal clamping was required for only 43 of 544 aneurysms operated electively from 1981 to 1989. Twenty-five patients had a juxtarenal aneurysm, without any normal aortic segment under the renal arteries, and suprarenal clamping was therefore necessary while the upper anastomosis was being established (group I). Eighteen patients had an aneurysm enclosing the root of at least one renal artery (group II). Several prognostic factors have been assessed: patient's age, presence of preoperative renal insufficiency, of arterial hypertension or of coronary insufficiency, and revascularization method. Five patients died. Four of them belonged to group II and were over 75 years old. All presented with a preoperative renal insufficiency. Two of these deaths were caused by mesenteric infarction. Four cases of regressive postoperative renal insufficiency were observed in patients for whom renal clamping had lasted longer than 45 minutes. This study allowed outlining three prognostic factors: the patient's age, preoperative renal insufficiency, a period of renal ischemia exceeding 40 minutes. On the other hand, the severity of hypertension had no predictive value. Coronary insufficiency requires a strict hemodynamic surveillance, but is not a contraindication for revascularization.