Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm — Open versus Endovascular Repair

The publication in this issue of the Journal of the Dutch Randomized Endovascular Aneurysm Management (DREAM) trial1 and the recent publication of a similar study from the United Kingdom2 provide the first randomized comparisons of the endovascular and open techniques for elective repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Elective repair is undertaken to prevent the rupture of aneurysms, which carries a mortality rate of about 80 percent. More than 40,000 procedures are performed each year in the United States. Open surgical repair, in which the aneurysm is opened and a graft sewn into place under direct vision, has proved durable in . . .