Pseudoaneurysm after cardiac catheterization: therapeutic interventions and their sequelae: experience in 86 patients

Interventional treatment options in pseudoaneurysms: different techniques in different localizations

Pseudoaneurysms are commonly experienced vascular abnormalities. The increase in the number of surgical and arteriographic procedures has caused a higher prevalence of pseudoaneurysms. Conventional angiography is still the gold standard method for diagnosis, but other imaging modalities such as duplex Doppler ultrasonography, magnetic resonance angiography and computed tomographic angiography are useful in noninvasive detection. Over the past few years, interventional radiological treatment has evolved and taken the place of surgery in management. There are different kinds of percutaneous and endovascular treatment methods in pseudoaneurysm management. Treatment options depend on certain conditions. We used a case-based approach to discuss pseudoaneurysms and their appropriate treatment by interventional radiological methods in this article.

Do not underestimate the femoral pseudoaneurysm

Abstract. In addition to haematoma and arteriovenous fistula, the iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm is a common complication of vascular access that is caused by a perforation in the arterial wall. Iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms can progress in size and lead to rupture and active bleeding. Over the previous few decades, therapeutic methods have evolved from surgical repair to less invasive options, such as ultrasound-guided compression therapy (UGCT) and ultrasound-guided thrombin injection (UGTI). This paper presents an overview of the diagnostic and treatment modalities used in femoral pseudoaneurysms as well as a comprehensive summary of previous studies that analysed the success and complication rates of UGCT and UGTI.

Direct percutaneous embolization of an iatrogenic lumbar artery pseudoaneurysm following unsuccessful coil embolization

A 56-year-old man with acute myeloleukemia was hospitalized for lumbar pain. Treatment with antibiotics failed to improve the symptoms. For the diagnosis of infiltration by leukemia we performed CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy of the L2-L3 disc and the L3 vertebral body using a left posterolateral approach. His symptoms were improved by treatment with antibiotics and he was discharged 4 days later. He again experienced lumbar pain 4 days post-discharge and was readmitted. Unenhanced CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis revealed a giant hematoma in the left psoas muscle and we suspected lumbar arterial injury. A preoperative aortography and transcatheter arterial coil embolization was then performed for the diagnosis and treatment of a lumbar artery pseudoaneurysm. On the preoperative angiography, pseudoaneurysm arising from the left lumbar artery was shown. All feeders were shown by the selective catheterization of the lumbar arteries and they were completely embolized using coils. However, contrast-enhanced CT obtained on the next day still demonstrated a pseudoaneurysm in the left psoas muscle. Thus, additional percutaneous embolization using N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate was performed. After this procedure, complete embolization of the pseudoaneurysm was obtained and his lumbar pain was relieved.

Percutaneous fluoroscopically guided n-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) injection for iatrogenic femoral arterial pseudoaneurysm under temporary balloon occlusion of arterial blood flow

PURPOSE

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of n-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) injection under fluoroscopy for iatrogenic femoral artery pseudoaneurysms under temporary balloon occlusion.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This treatment was approved by the Ethics Committee of our institute, and informed consent was obtained from the patients. Three male patients aged 82, 77, and 51 years developed femoral arterial pseudoaneurysms after catheterization. The pseudoaneurysms (diameter: 30, 12, and 15 mm; neck diameter: 1.8, 5.2, and 1.4 mm) were treated with percutaneous NBCA injection under fluoroscopy after failed ultrasound (US)-guided compression. First, a 4-Fr balloon catheter was inserted into the responsible femoral artery via the contralateral approach. An 18-gauge needle was placed in the pseudoaneurysm under US guidance, and a test injection of contrast medium was performed under fluoroscopic guidance to evaluate the extent of the pseudoaneurysm. NBCA-lipiodol (Lp) (ratio, 1:3) was then injected under balloon inflation. The balloon catheter was deflated and withdrawn after treatment.

RESULTS

The total volume of the injected NBCA-Lp was 0.4-1.5 ml. In each case, angiography immediately after NBCA-Lp injection showed eradication of the pseudoaneurysm, and color Doppler US revealed no blood flow signal. No complications were observed. Color Doppler US showed no recurrence in the three patients at their last follow-ups at 6, 12, and 12 months.

CONCLUSION

Percutaneous NBCA injection under fluoroscopy with the support of balloon inflation was safe, feasible, and useful for eradicating iatrogenic femoral artery pseudoaneurysms in three cases following failed US compression.

An animal model for femoral artery pseudoaneurysms

PURPOSE

To prepare a porcine model for femoral artery pseudoaneurysm via a one-step surgical procedure without the need for microsurgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This pseudoaneurysm model involves the preparation of an arteriovenous shunt between the femoral artery and femoral vein in which approximately 2 cm of the vein is segmented by proximal and distal closure with the use of ligatures. The femoral pseudoaneurysm models were evaluated by angiography, Doppler auscultation, and histologic examination.

RESULTS

In seven of eight pigs, angiography and Doppler auscultation showed that the pseudoaneurysm models were open and that there was communication between the pseudoaneurysm model and the femoral artery. The mean length (+/-SD) of the pseudoaneurysm model was 1.9 cm +/- 0.3 (n= 7), with a neck region of 4 mm. Histologic analysis confirmed that pseudoaneurysm models were open and no thrombi were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

The principal advantages of this model are the location of the pseudoaneurysm model, the short period of clamping, and the controllable size. The pig pseudoaneurysm model is straightforward and reproducible, and may serve as a useful tool in the evaluation of interventional strategies for treatment of pseudoaneurysms.

Ultrasound guided treatment of pseudoaneurysm caused by puncture of the common femoral artery

Catheter-induced iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm is a complication on the rise as compared to the past. This is due to the increasingly frequent use of percutaneous endovascular intervention in the diagnosis and treatment of several diseases. We present a case which underlines the diagnostic and therapeutic role of color Doppler ultrasound (US) in this pathology.

Large femoral aneurysm as a late complication after vessel closure device application

Four months after a diagnostic coronary angiography followed by application of a vascular closure device, a female patient presented with an acute femoral pulsing tumor with strong pain in the groin area. There was no prior trauma. Color duplex sonography showed a large pseudoaneurysm of the right femoral artery. In addition, signs of an old hematoma were documented. Due to the large tumor affecting the arterial perfusion of distal arteries, the pseudoaneurysm was treated immediately by thrombin injection. After this procedure, arterial perfusion in the tumor was not detectable anymore and local symptoms decreased rapidly. This is a rare case of late pseudoaneurysm after femoral artery puncture.

[Treatment of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms by ultrasound-guided percutaneous thrombin injection: effectiveness and complications]

AIM

We retrospectively assessed the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided percutaneous thrombin injection in the treatment of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms and registered the occurrence of complications in the systemic circulation.

METHODS

We performed ultrasound-guided thrombin injection in 26 iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms: 24 were classified as single en 2 as complex. We registered the volume and the pseudoaneurysm neck measurements, as well as the complication rate.

RESULTS

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous thrombin injection led to a successful obliteration of pseudoaneurysm in 25 out of 26 cases (96.2%). The thrombin amount varied between 250 and 1000 IU. A thrombosis of the common femoral artery after the thrombin injection occurred only in one patient.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous thrombin injection is effective and safe in the treatment of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms provided the exclusion criteria are respected. Complications are rare.

Access-site complications after rescue percutaneous coronary intervention during thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction

Aggressive antithrombotic medical therapy may increase the rate of access-site complications after percutaneous coronary intervention. Frequently, emergency coronary interventions have to be performed in a situation when thrombolysis therapy was administered as the first-line therapeutic approach in acute myocardial infarction but failed to achieve stable conditions. We analyzed the rate of femoral bleeding complications after emergency coronary intervention in 76 consecutive patients with unsuccessful thrombolysis in acute myocardial infarction. All invasive procedures were performed in a time period no longer than eight hours after thrombolysis was administered. Additional antithrombotic therapy with heparin and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa-inhibitors was given during intervention in 100% and 38.2% of patients, respectively. In three patients (3.9%) femoral hematomas without therapeutic consequences were documented; one patient (1.3%) developed a hematoma requiring blood transfusion. A pseudoaneurysm, fistula or surgical vascular intervention did not occur. Coronary interventional procedures in rescue situations can be performed with excellent safety with respect to access-site bleeding complications even under conditions of ongoing thrombolysis therapy and aggressive antithrombotic medical regimens.

Ultrasound-Guided Glue Injection as Alternative Treatment of Femoral Pseudoaneurysms

The interventional angiographic techniques using the percutaneous femoral approach for endovascular revascularization are becoming increasingly more popular. These methods usually require larger sheaths, and most patients need postprocedural anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy. As a consequence, the interventional procedure is associated with a higher rate of complications at the arterial entry site compared to diagnostic angiography. The reported incidence of iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm formation after coronary artery interventions ranges from 3.2% to 7.7%, and the rates noted after diagnostic angiography range from 0.2% to 1%.

Current treatment methods for postcatheterization pseudoaneurysms

Pseudoaneurysms are a recognized complication of arterial catheterization. Until recently, the standard method of treatment has been surgical. The past decade has seen the introduction of several minimally invasive techniques that have largely replaced surgical treatment of pseudoaneurysms. The most commonly used methods are ultrasound-guided compression and percutaneous injection of thrombin into the pseudoaneurysm. This review article describes all the methods available for the treatment of postcatheterization pseudoaneurysms, presents results from the largest published series, and discusses the relative merits of each technique.

Thrombin injection for treatment of false aneurysms after failed compression therapy in patients on full-dose antiplatelet and heparin therapy

The aim of this study was to gauge the effectiveness of thrombin injection after failed manual compression in patients with false aneurysms receiving full-dose antiplatelet and heparin therapy. In consecutive patients with failed manual compression therapy (ultrasound-guided manual compression, compression bandage, or both), thrombin was injected under ultrasound guidance. In 23 patients, thrombin was injected into the false aneurysm (100-2,000 units; mean, 895 +/- 520 units). All patients were on aspirin (median dose, 100 mg/day), clopidogrel (median dose, 75 mg/day), and either heparin (n = 3) with a partial thromboplastin time (PTT) > 55 sec or weight-adjusted enoxaparine (0.1 ml per 10 kg; maximum, 1 ml/b.i.d.). Twelve patients had received an i.v. GB IIIb/IIa antagonist 11-72 hr prior to diagnosis of the aneurysm. The mean width of the false aneurysms was 20.8 +/- 3.2 mm (range, 8.0-52.0 mm), length 29.7 +/- 32.6 mm (range, 9.0-147 mm), and depth 19 +/- 9.1 mm (range, 5.1-35.5 mm). Thrombosis after thrombin injection occurred in 21 patients within seconds. One patient required a second injection the next day, one patient underwent surgery. Overall success rate was 96%. No in-hospital complications occurred. In patients with false aneurysms and failed compression therapy under full-dose aspirin, clopidogrel, and heparin, selective thrombin injection is highly effective and safe.

Femoral pseudoaneurysms: management with percutaneous thrombin injections--success rates and effects on systemic coagulation

PURPOSE

To determine the success rate of percutaneous ultrasonographically (US) guided thrombin injection in the treatment of femoral pseudoaneurysms and to evaluate the effects of thrombin injection on systemic coagulation parameters.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty femoral pseudoaneurysms (37 simple pseudoaneurysms with one lobe and 13 complex pseudoaneurysms with two or three lobes) were treated with US-guided percutaneous thrombin injections. Pseudoaneurysm size, neck length and width, thrombin dose, outcome of therapy, and complications were documented prospectively. Duplex sonographic follow-up examinations were performed at 12-24 hours and 5-7 and 21-25 days. In 25 patients, activated thromboplastin time, Quick test (prothrombin time), thrombin time, fibrinogen, D-dimer, antithrombin III, thrombin-antithrombin III complex, and prothrombin fragments 1 and 2 were determined before and at 2, 5, and 10 minutes after thrombin injection. Differences in results before and those after thrombin injection were evaluated by means of the one-sample t test.

RESULTS

Mean volume of pseudoaneurysms was 5.84 cm(3) +/- 4.89 (SD). Fifty-eight thrombin injections were performed. Mean thrombin dose was 357 IU +/- 291 in simple and 638 IU +/- 549 in complex pseudoaneurysms. Primary success rate was 36 of 37 (97%) for simple and eight of 13 (61%) for complex pseudoaneurysms. Reperfusion occurred in four complex pseudoaneurysms (none in simple ones). Secondary success rate was 100%. No thromboembolic, infectious, or allergic complications occurred. During follow-up, reperfusion was detected in one patient with a complex pseudoaneurysm. Levels of thrombin-antithrombin III complex increased significantly (P <.05) after thrombin injection, whereas changes in all other laboratory tests were not significant.

CONCLUSION

US-guided percutaneous injection of thrombin is successful and safe in the management of femoral pseudoaneurysms. The increase of thrombin-antithrombin III complex indicates the possibility of thrombin passage into the arterial circulation.

Treatment of iatrogenic femoral artery false aneurysms with ultrasound-guided thrombin injection

The aim of this paper is to review our results of treating iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms of the femoral artery with ultrasound-guided thrombin injection. A retrospective review was carried out of all patients referred for this procedure over a 1-year period from December 1999 to December 2000. Forty-five patients were referred and, of these, 44 were eligible for this treatment, with 300-2500 units of thrombin being injected directly into the false aneurysms under ultrasound guidance. The procedure was well tolerated with no patients requiring sedation or analgesia. There was a primary success rate of 95%, although in four of the patients, there was recurrence on repeat ultrasound performed 2-5 days post-procedure and a second injection of thrombin was required for permanent thrombosis to be achieved. No complications relating to the procedure occurred. Our results confirm increasing evidence in the published research that thrombin injection of femoral artery false aneurysms is a safe and effective treatment.

Ipsilateral femoral vein compression: a contraindication to thrombin injection of femoral pseudoaneurysms

Development of a femoral artery pseudoaneurysm occurs in 0.6% to 3.2% of interventional procedures. Nonsurgical treatment has consisted of ultrasound scan-directed compression and, more recently, direct thrombin injection into the pseudoaneurysm cavity to achieve thrombosis. Reported complications after thrombin injection are rare. We report two cases of femoral venous compression associated with pseudoaneurysm injection and review the literature. A 76-year-old man and an 86-year-old man both underwent thrombin injection of pseudoaneurysms compressing the ipsilateral common femoral vein. Both patients were diagnosed with deep venous thrombosis and subsequently needed surgical exploration for repair of the pseudoaneurysm and release of the venous compression. At exploration, both were found to have significant inflammation surrounding the femoral vessels, which made vessel exposure challenging. Because of the venous outflow obstruction involved in femoral pseudoaneurysms with secondary venous compression and the surgical difficulty caused by surrounding inflammation, avoidance of thrombin injection in favor of early surgical intervention is suggested.

Lumbar artery pseudoaneurysm following renal biopsy: treatment with ultrasound-guided thrombin injection

latrogenic pseudoaneurysms are usually seen following arterial catheterization. However, we describe a case of a 23-year-old woman who developed a pseudoaneurysm of a lumbar artery following renal biopsy. In view of her progressing renal failure, arterial embolization was felt to be inappropriate, and although the pseudoaneurysm could be seen ultrasonically, guided compression could not be applied because of the location of the aneurysm deep to the lumbar musculature. Hence, the pseudoaneurysm was thrombosed by percutaneous ultrasound-guided injection of thrombin directly into the pseudoaneurysm sac. This resulted in immediate thrombosis of the aneurysm and no recurrence on follow-up imaging. Thrombin injection for femoral artery pseudoaneurysms following catheterization is becoming more widely accepted, and our case demonstrates that this technique might be applied to pseudoaneurysms elsewhere in the body.

Postcatheterization pseudoaneurysms: new developments in the diagnosis and treatment with ultrasound

Postcatheterization pseudoaneurysms are an increasingly common complication of endovascular procedures. Ultrasound (US) is essential in diagnosis and in playing the key role in the noninvasive treatment of such pseudoaneurysms. The past decade has seen a shift from surgical management to US-guided therapy initially using manual compression. Recently, the minimally invasive technique of percutaneous thrombin injection has been described as an alternative to US-guided compression. This review article discusses the cause and natural history of pseudoaneurysms and describes the technique of US-guided thrombin injection.

Low-dose thrombin injection to treat iatrogenic femoral artery pseudoaneurysms

OBJECTIVE

Treatment of iatrogenic femoral artery pseudoaneurysms with thrombin injection has been reported as an efficacious and safe procedure. The major risk of this procedure is distal limb ischemia from thrombosis, resulting from thrombin escape. The cumulative average dose of thrombin reported in the literature is approximately 1100 U per patient. Minimizing the thrombin dose may reduce the risks of the procedure. This study reports our experience with low-dose thrombin injection for the treatment of pseudoaneurysms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-three patients with 26 postcatheterization femoral pseudoaneurysms were administered thrombin injection with color-flow Doppler sonographic guidance. Pseudoaneurysm volume ranged from 1 to 41 cm(3) with an average of 6.7 cm(3) and a median of 4 cm(3). Two patients received therapeutic doses of IV heparin for anticoagulation. When possible, the neck of the pseudoaneurysm was occluded during the injection to promote stagnation and prevent thrombin leakage. Sonographic follow-up was routinely performed after 24 hr.

RESULTS

An average dose of 192 U of thrombin was used (range, 50-450 U), and time to coagulation ranged from 10 to 60 sec. All 26 pseudoaneurysms were successfully thrombosed, although one required repeated treatment because of recanalization noted at 1-day follow-up. There were no complications.

CONCLUSION

Doses of thrombin at an average of fivefold lower than previously reported were effective in the treatment of 26 iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms, even in the presence of anticoagulation. This experience shows that a much smaller dose of a potentially dangerous medication can achieve the same efficacy as previously used higher doses.

Treatment of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms with percutaneous thrombin injection: experience in 54 patients

PURPOSE

To assess the clinical success of ultrasonography (US)-guided thrombin injection for the treatment of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms and to identify criteria that may predispose to treatment failure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty-four iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms were treated with US-guided thrombin injection. Forty-five were classified as simple (single lobe) and nine, as complex (at least two lobes and a single neck to the native vessel). Pseudoaneurysm volume, classification, thrombin dose, anticoagulation therapy status, and sheath size were compared between failed and successful cases. Seven- to 10-day follow-up US and a minimum 4-month clinical follow-up were also performed to evaluate success.

RESULTS

Fifty of 54 pseudoaneurysms were successfully treated with topical thrombin without complication and included all 45 simple and five of nine complex pseudoaneurysms. US follow-up in all 50 successful cases and clinical follow-up in 37 of these revealed no recurrence. Only a complex pseudoaneurysm classification was significantly associated with failure (P<.01). Among the complex pseudoaneurysms, successful cases involved two injections and a total thrombin dose of at least 1,500 units. In failed cases, pseudoaneurysms were treated with a single injection of 1,000 units, initially thrombosed, and recurred.

CONCLUSION

Simple iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms, regardless of size or concomitant anticoagulation therapy, can be treated with a single injection of up to 1,000 units of topical thrombin and require no follow-up. Complex pseudoaneurysms will likely require a second injection (total thrombin dose of at least 1,500 units) and short-term clinical and US follow-up to ensure successful treatment.

Treatment of iatrogenic femoral arterial pseudoaneurysms: comparison of US-guided thrombin injection with compression repair

PURPOSE

To evaluate and compare the treatment of iatrogenic femoral arterial pseudoaneurysms by using ultrasonographically (US) guided direct thrombin injection with US-guided compression repair.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-six patients with iatrogenic femoral arterial pseudoaneurysms were treated with direct thrombin injection. With US guidance, a 22-gauge needle was placed into the pseudoaneurysm flow lumen and thrombin (mean volume, 0.35 mL; range, 0.10-0.60 mL) was injected with continuous color Doppler US guidance. Demographics, clinical variables, pseudoaneurysm characteristics, and results in these patients were compared with those in 281 consecutive patients who underwent US-guided compression repair.

RESULTS

The success rate of thrombin injection was 96% (25 of 26 patients), which was significantly higher than that of compression, 74% (209 of 281 patients) (P =.013). Twenty of 26 (77%) patients required a single injection, and six (23%) required two injections. Mean thrombosis time for thrombin injection was 6 seconds, compared with 41.5 minutes for compression. For thrombin injection, there were no complications, foot pulses did not change and no patients required conscious sedation. Follow-up US at 24 hours showed no recurrent pseudoaneurysms.

CONCLUSION

For the treatment of iatrogenic femoral arterial pseudoaneurysms, thrombin injection with US guidance appears to be superior to compression repair.

Percutaneous induced thrombosis of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms following catheterization

Femoral pseudoaneurysms are one of the common iatrogenic complications following catheterization procedures done via the femoral approach. Their treatment has evolved over the last decade from operative repair to ultrasound-guided compression (USGC) and more recently to thrombin injection of the pseudoaneurysm. We report our experience with that technique and compare the results of thromboobliteration to those of the compression method. All consecutive iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms diagnosed in the vascular laboratory of two large community hospitals were referred for the study. Under ultrasound guidance, percutaneous thromboobliteration (PTO) of the pseudoaneurysms was done by injecting thrombin solution (500-unit increments) into the pseudoaneurysm. Time to thrombosis, dose of thrombin, patient's discomfort, and ease of procedure were recorded and analyzed. Comparison with results of USGC reported in the literature was made. Percutaneous thromboobliteration may be a simple and very effective treatment of femoral pseudoaneurysms. The high success rate, ease of procedure, and cost benefit over USGC are noteworthy. A larger trial is currently under way. If results are duplicated, PTO will emerge as the preferred treatment for iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms.

[Peripheral arterial complications after heart catheterization]

After diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization, local vascular complications at the arterial entry site must be expected. With respect to the method applied for catheterization and the puncture site, the type of complications may vary. With transfemoral approach a large variety of vascular complications have to be feared, mostly in the form of bleeding complications and hematomas, arterial dissections or occlusions, pseudoaneurysms and AV-fistulas. Each of these complications may have the potential for serious morbidity. When cardiac catheterization is performed via the arteries of the arm (either in the classical Sones technique by arterial cutdown to the brachial artery or by direct puncture of the brachial or radial artery) vascular occlusions will mostly occur as local vascular complications. These occlusions can often be managed conservatively or by a surgical procedure. The incidence of a vascular complication is mainly dependent on patient-related (sex, age, height, weight, arterial hypertension, diabetes, presence of peripheral vascular disease and compliance of the patient after withdrawal of the sheath) and procedure-related (arterial access site, diagnostic or interventional study, sheath size, periprocedural anticoagulation, duration of intra-arterial sheath placement, faulty puncture technique, operator skill) factors. In addition, the definition of a complication, the publication year of a certain study and the technique used for identification of complications seem to play a role for the reported incidence of peripheral vascular complications after cardiac catheterization. Currently, incidences of 0.1 to 2% for significant local vascular complications after diagnostic transfemoral catheterization are reported, after interventional transfemoral treatment 0.5 to 5% and after complex procedures using large sheath sizes with periprocedural anticoagulation (directional atherectomy, IABP, left-heart assist, valvuloplasty) up to 14%. Following transbrachial and transradial catheterization, local vascular complications at the entry site amount to 1 to 3% after diagnostic and 1 to 5% after interventional procedures. Local vascular complications may be diminished by a cautious and sensitive puncture technique with additional care in patients at higher risk for vascular complications (females, prediagnosed peripheral vascular disease, mandatory anticoagulation, necessity for large sheaths). By using smaller sized catheters and an adequate, defensive anticoagulation regimen, the rate of arterial access site complications may be reduced. Proper methods for achievement of hemostasis as well as a close and careful observation after sheath withdrawal are required.