True and anastomotic femoral artery aneurysms: Is the risk of rupture and thrombosis related to the size of the aneurysms?

Abstract

Objective: the management of asymptomatic femoral aneurysms remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between the diameter of the true and anastomotic aneurysms and the risk of rupture. Design: retrospective study. Material and methods: we reviewed the case records of 17 patients who underwent 17 arterial reconstructive procedures for true femoral aneurysms. In addition, the case records of 76 patients who underwent 90 arterial reconstructive procedures for femoral anastomotic aneurysms were identified and reviewed. Results: the rupture rate for aneurysms less than 5 cm in diameter was 1.6% (one out of 64) compared with 16% (seven out of 43) for those larger than 5 cm. The thrombosis rate for aneurysms less than 5 cm in diameter was 17% compared with 5% for those with larger than 5 cm. Conclusions: this study seems to show that the risk of rupture of femoral aneurysms is related to the diameter of the aneurysms. However, the rise in the risk of rupture with increasing size seems less dramatic than for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).