Ultrasound-guided compression repair of postcatheterization pseudoaneurysms: results of treatment in one hundred...

The purpose of this report is to describe the indications, technique, and results for ultrasound-guided compression repair (UGCR) of postcatheterization pseudoaneurysms at a large medical center in which catheter-based diagnostic and interventional procedures are frequently used.

We reviewed the initial series of 100 consecutive patients who underwent UGCR in our noninvasive vascular laboratory from May 1991 through August 1992. Nearly all (n = 95) of these pseudoaneurysms involved the common femoral artery or its major branches, and each was manually compressed with a 5 MHz linear transducer for 10-minute intervals until the pseudoaneurysm was completely occluded or the procedure was considered to be a failure.

UCGR was immediately successful in 94 patients, including 30 (86%) of 35 patients who were receiving anticoagulants and 64 (98%) of the 65 who were not (p = 0.019). The average compression time to achieve occlusion was 33 minutes (range 10 to 120 minutes), but was nearly twice as long (51 minutes) for pseudoaneurysms that had been present for more than 14 days. There were no related complications, but recurrent pseudoaneurysms occurred in six (20%) of 30 patients who continued to receive formal anticoagulation, compared with only four (6%) of 64 who did not (p = 0.074). Eight of the 10 recurrences were discovered within 24 hours after primary UGCR, but two others presented at 16 and 35 days, respectively. Eight recurrent lesions were corrected by repeat UGCR, whereas the remaining two required surgical repair.

UGCR provides a reliable alternative to surgical treatment for postcatheterization pseudoaneurysms. Adequate follow-up is important, however, especially in patients for whom continued anticoagulation is necessary.