Quality of life, impotence, and activity level in a randomized trial of immediate repair versus surveillance of small abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Objective: We compared long-term health-related quality-of-life outcome after randomization to immediate elective repair or imaging surveillance, and in relation to time of elective repair, in patients with small asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

Methods: This randomized clinical trial was carried out in 16 Veterans Affairs medical centers. Study subjects were patients at good surgical risk, aged 50 to 79 years, with AAAs 4.