Survey of management of common iliac artery aneurysms by members of the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to determine whether the current management of common iliac artery aneurysms (CIAAs) by vascular surgeons is in tune with existing guidelines for referral. MethodsThis was a postal survey of members of the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland. The main outcome measures were relative frequency of ruptured CIAA, respondents’ size threshold for surveillance versus intervention, and their management strategies for isolated unilateral CIAAs, bilateral CIAAs and aortoiliac aneurysms. ResultsTwo hundred and eighty-four (anonymous) replies were received (48% response rate). Respondents estimated that a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) was 25 times more common than a ruptured CIAA. Most surgeons (64%) would wait until a CIAA reached 4cm in diameter before considering intervention. This threshold was not affected by other scenarios such as the presence of a bilateral CIAA or a small (4cm) AAA. Eighty per cent of surgeons would treat a non-ruptured CIAA by stent...