Minimally invasive surgery and the vascular specialist

[Laparoscopic aortoiliac surgery for occlusive disease and or aneurysms]

The techniques of video-assisted surgery have been recently applied to aortoiliac surgery. The choices between first the retroperitoneal approach or the transperitoneal approach and the place of video-assisted surgery in relation to totally laparoscopic surgery are at the centre of debates. The aim of this clarification is to relate the evolution of laparoscopic aortoiliac surgery for occlusive disease and aneurysms through a review of the literature on this subject.

Totally laparoscopic abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) resection is a major surgical procedure performed frequently. As a minimal access procedure, laparoscopy has been shown in the field of general surgery to improve a patient's postoperative well-being and to shorten hospital stay. The same benefits could be expected from a laparoscopic approach for AAA repair. We report what we believe to be the first totally laparoscopic AAA repair performed according to the principles of endoaneurysmorrhaphy.