Editor's Choice: Contemporary treatment of popliteal artery aneurysm in eight countries: A Report from the Vascunet collaboration of registries.

• Published in: European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
• Main Authors: Björck, M, Beiles, B, Menyhei, G, Thomson, I, Wigger, P, Venermo, M, Laxdal, E, Danielsson, G, Lees, T, Troëng, T
• Other Authors: Uppsala Univ, Dept Surg Sci, Uppsala, Sweden, Western Hosp, Melbourne, Vic, Australia, Univ Pecs, Med Ctr, Dept Vasc Surg, Pecs, Hungary, Univ Otago, Dept Surg Sci, Dunedin, New Zealand, Cantonal Hosp, Winterthur, Switzerland, Univ Helsinki, Cent Hosp, Dept Vasc Surg, Helsinki, Finland, Haukeland Hosp, Dept Vasc Surg, N-5021 Bergen, Norway, Reykjavik Univ Hosp, Dept Vasc Surg, Reykjavik, Iceland, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hosp NHS Trust, Northern Vasc Ctr, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England, Blekinge Hosp, Dept Surg, Karlskrona, Sweden
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: W B Saunders 2014
• Subjects: Aldraðir; Æðasjúkdómar; Áhættuþættir; Aged; Amputation; Aneurysm; Australia; Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; Chi-Square Distribution; Cooperative Behavior; Emergencies; Endovascular Procedures; Europe; Female; Humans; International Cooperation; Limb Salvage; Male; New Zealand; Physician's Practice Patterns; Popliteal Artery; Registries; Reoperation; Risk Factors; Surgical Procedures; Elective; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/325110; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejvs.2013.10.026

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Files. This article is open access. To study contemporary popliteal artery aneurysm (PA) repair. Vascunet is a collaboration of population-based registries in 10 countries: eight had data on PA repair (Australia, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland). From January 2009 until June 2012, 1,471 PA repairs were registered. There were 9.59 operations per million person years, varying from 3.4 in Hungary to 17.6 in Sweden. Median age was 70 years, ranging from 66 years in Switzerland and Iceland to 74 years in Australia and New Zealand; 95.6% were men and 44% were active smokers. Elective surgery dominated, comprising 72% of all cases, but only 26.2% in Hungary and 39.7% in Finland, (p < .0001). The proportion of endovascular PA repair was 22.2%, varying from 34.7% in Australia, to zero in Switzerland, Finland, and Iceland (p < .0001). Endovascular repair was performed in 12.2% of patients with acute thrombosis and 24.1% of elective cases (p < .0001). A vein graft was used in 87.2% of open repairs, a synthetic or composite graft in 12.7%. Follow-up was until discharge or 30 days. Amputation rate was 2.0% overall: 6.5% after acute thrombosis, 1.0% after endovascular, 1.8% after open repair, and 26.3% after hybrid repair (p < .0001). Mortality was 0.7% overall: 0.1% after elective repair, 1.6% after acute thrombosis, and 11.1% after rupture. Great variability between countries in incidence of operations, indications for surgery, and choice of surgical technique was found, possibly a result of surgical tradition rather than differences in case mix. Comparative studies with longer follow-up data are warranted.