Supraceliac versus infrarenal aortic cross-clamp for repair of non-ruptured infrarenal and juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms may require aortic occlusion above the renal arteries. Despite fears of renal, hepatic and intestinal ischemia, recent publications have suggested that when repair would be difficult or impossible with infrarenal aortic clamping, supraceliac clamping may not be associated with significantly increased morbidity. Between February 1985 and January 1994, 169 patients underwent elective or urgent (symptomatic but not ruptured) repair of infra- or juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm. Twenty-three patients (14%) required supraceliac clamping for juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm, inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm, or other difficult exposure problems. Supraceliac clamping and infrarenal aortic clamping patients were indistinguishable with respect to age, gender, abdominal aortic aneurysm diameter, and other co-morbidities. There was a trend toward more frequent use of supraceliac clamping in urgent operations. Preoperative angiography was used selectively and was obtained more often in supraceliac clamping patients, reflecting suspected juxtarenal or renal involvement based on computed tomography findings, but the decision to employ supraceliac clamping was made at surgery. Mean (s.d.) supraceliac clamping clamp time was 22(5) (range 12-30) min. Similar numbers of supraceliac clamping and infrarenal aortic clamping patients required bifurcated grafts, operative times were comparable, and numbers of early complications were similar in the two groups. Transfusion requirements were slightly greater and length of stay was insignificantly shorter in supraceliac clamping patients (due to a few prolonged hospital stays in infrarenal aortic clamping patients). No supraceliac clamping patient required dialysis or suffered clinically apparent hepatic failure, coagulopathy, or intestinal ischemia. There were no operative deaths and all patients were discharged from the hospital. Supraceliac clamping was not associated with greater perioperative morbidity and may have contributed to a lack of mortality by facilitating repair of difficult abdominal aortic aneurysm. Supraceliac clamping should be considered for elective and urgent abdominal aortic aneurysm repair when there is inadequate length or quality of infrarenal aorta for anastomosis, severe associated pararenal atherosclerosis, inflammatory aneurysm, or previous aortic surgery. It is concluded that selective supraceliac clamping is safe and facilitates repair of difficult aortic problems.