Endovascular Treatment of an Anterior Tibial Artery Pseudoaneurysm Secondary to Penetrating Trauma in a Young Patient: Case Report and Literature Review

Catheter-based therapy for traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the anterior tibial artery

Tibial artery pseudoaneurysms often result from penetrating or blunt trauma to the lower extremities, or after orthopedic and endovascular interventions. Clinically, these lesions manifest as an expanding pulsatile mass of the affected area accompanied with pain and erythema. Despite the rare occurrence, traumatic tibial pseudoaneurysms can be associated with significant morbidity including local discomfort, rupture, and lower limb ischemia. Duplex ultrasound is considered the gold standard for diagnosis. Treatment options include surgical repair, ultrasound-guided compression or thrombin injection, and endovascular repair. In this report, we describe a 42-year-old male who presented to our center with pulsatile swelling over the mid-lateral aspect of the left leg. The diagnosis of a large anterior tibial artery pseudoaneurysm was made on clinical basis and was confirmed with computed tomography angiography. The lesion was treated endovascularly with a covered stent graft. In conclusion, this case highlights the role of endovascular therapy as a surgery-sparing and minimally invasive approach in managing traumatic peripheral arterial pseudoaneurysms with excellent clinical outcomes.

Coronary stent-graft use to salvage a juxta-anastomotic arterial rupture complicating a case of radio-cephalic fistuloplasty

Background

Stenosis is a common complication of haemodialysis arteriovenous accesses. Endovascular approaches with percutaneous transluminal fistuloplasty have largely replaced open surgical approaches as first line treatment. Vessel rupture is an uncommon complication of fistuloplasty and most reports describe venous rupture. Stent-graft deployment can salvage this, however, its use requires careful assessment of the distal vasculature. Arterial rupture with fistuloplasty has rarely been described in the literature. This is a novel case describing the use of a BeGraft coronary stent-graft to manage juxta-anastomotic arterial rupture and pseudoaneurysm complicating fistuloplasty.

Case presentation

A 77 year old female with end stage renal failure secondary to systemic amyloid light chain type amyloidosis was referred for a suspected radio-cephalic arteriovenous fistula stenosis after difficulty cannulating with poor flow during dialysis and clinical reduction in the fistula thrill. Both Doppler ultrasound and intravenous fistulography confirmed a venous stenosis 2 cm distal to the anastomosis. The stenosis was treated by fistuloplasty, however, this was complicated by a rupture of the juxta-anastomotic arterial segment intraoperatively. Intermittent balloon tamponade was used to minimise extravasation although a pseudoaneurysm formed within the damaged arterial segment. The patient’s distal neurovascular status was assessed using the Barbeau test and we sonographically confirmed adequate retrograde arterial flow via a complete palmar arch directing blood from the ulnar artery. After discussion with the renal transplant team, a 4 mm BeGraft coronary stent-graft was deployed to control haemorrhage and bypass the pseudoaneurysm until adequate haemostasis and fistula flow was achieved. Follow-up 3 months post-procedure reported the patient continued with haemodialysis using the stented fistula with no further complications.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first case report describing the application of BeGraft coronary stent-grafts to salvage fistuloplasty of a radio-cephalic arteriovenous fistula stenosis complicated by juxta-anastomotic arterial rupture and pseudoaneurysm formation. We demonstrate the safety and short-term efficacy of this technology.

Arteriovenous Fistula of the Peroneal Artery Complicating a Retrograde Access: Successful Endovascular Treatment with Covered Stent Implantation

An 80-year-old woman developed a recurrent chronic limb-threatening ischemia of the right lower limb after a popliteal artery (PA) recanalization with retrograde puncture of the peroneal artery (PR). The angiography showed the PA restenosis and an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) at the previous peroneal retrograde access site. After the PA angioplasty, the AVF was identified through selective contrast injections in multiple projections. A coronary balloon-expandable covered stent was deployed at the AVF site with complete resolution of the AVF. The final angiography demonstrated the patency of PA and PR with complete resolution of the AVF. The patient was discharged without complications, with regression of rest pain. The foot lesion healed within 2 months.