Conventional treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms is by a surgical procedure involving midline laparotomy, aortic clamping, aortic bypass, and blood loss with associated transfusion. Improvements in surgical techniques and patient care have allowed the mortality rate associated with this procedure to be reduced to approximately 5%, when elective repair is done prior to rupture of the aneurysm. Risks of surgery increase when the patient is considered to be a poor candidate for surgery.