Cytokine patterns and the effects of a preoperative steroid treatment in the patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms

Background. The aim of this study was to investigate the cytokine patterns of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms and the effects of preoperative steroid administration on surgical stress. Methods. From January 1996 to August 1996, 20 consecutive patients underwent an elective reconstruction of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. The patients were randomly divided into two groups consisting of a control group (n = 10) and a steroid group (n = 10), in whom 1 g of methylprednisolone was intravenously administered two hours before the operation. Measures. Interleukin-6 was serially measured and the perioperative parameters including C-reactive protein were compared between both the control and the steroid groups. Results. The interleukin-6 values in the steroid group immediately after declamping, as well as at one and three postoperative days were significantly lower than those in the control group. C-reactive protein values at one postoperative day in the steroid group were also significantly lower than those in the control group. In one patient with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, the interleukin-6 values were higher than those in the patients undergoing elective surgery throughout the study. Conclusions. These results thus suggest that preoperative steroid administration using methylprednisolone in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms appears to reduce surgical stress by decreasing cytokine release.