With the development of endovascular therapies, conventional surgical treatment of sub-renal abdominal aortic aneurysms no longer appears to be the treatment of choice, especially for high-risk patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of conventional surgery in the treatment of sub-renal abdominal aortic aneurysms in high-risk patients, by comparing two groups of patients: those at high operative risk versus those at low risk.