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.