Iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm in the upper arm: treatment by transcatheter embolization

Life and Limb: Current Concepts in Endovascular Treatment of Extremity Trauma

Traumatic injury is the leading cause of death worldwide in younger patient populations and extremity trauma with associated vascular injury accounts for many trauma-related deaths. Iatrogenic injury is also a common cause of extremity vascular trauma and the incidence of iatrogenic injury will likely increase as endovascular techniques continue to become more ubiquitous. For many vascular injuries involving the extremities, surgical repair is viewed as the standard of care. Historically, endovascular techniques did not play a role in the treatment of these vascular injuries, rather they were utilized only as part of the diagnostic assessment; however, there is an increasing trend toward endovascular management of extremity vascular trauma. No validated, widely implemented algorithm to select patients for endovascular intervention exists. Transcatheter techniques, however, play an important role in the management of these patients. For arterial injuries, embolization can be used to rapidly achieve hemostasis if the vessel can be sacrificed. More advanced endovascular techniques such as stent-graft placement may be best employed in the context of isolated, proximal extremity injuries, although there is increasing literature supporting the use of advanced techniques for more distal arterial injuries. The management of peripheral venous trauma remains controversial; however, there is growing data describing successful endovascular management of some peripheral venous injuries. The purpose of this article is to review extremity vascular trauma, concepts of injury triage, endovascular techniques, and intraprocedural considerations.

Development of an iatrogenic aneurysm nine months after pacemaker implantation: Consideration of causes and treatment

Careful technique is required in pacemaker implantation to avoid serious iatrogenic complications. A 70-year-old woman on an anticoagulant agent underwent pacemaker implantation. Nine months after implantation, a 35-mm pulsatile mass appeared just near the cranial edge of the generator. An iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm was suspected because ultrasonography showed communication with the blood stream through tiny artery. The resected mass proved to be a pseudoaneurysm. This was a rare case of iatrogenic delayed pseudoaneurysm appearing nine months later. It is essential to keep in mind the risk of pseudoaneurysm after pacemaker implantation, especially when the patient takes anticoagulant agents. <Learning objective: Iatrogenic delayed pseudoaneurysm might develop after pacemaker implantation. It is essential to avoid risk factors for a pseudoaneurysm after pacemaker implantation when the patient is taking anticoagulant agents and to keep in mind careful follow-up even after discharge. Prospective measures such as suspension of antithrombotic agents, minimizing puncture attempts, and wound compression are also important.>.

Successful percutaneous treatment for massive hemorrhage due to infectious pseudoaneurysm in the abdominal wall after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy: a case report

Background

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is often performed for alimentation and to prevent weight loss in patients with feeding problems due to central neurologic diseases such as cerebral infarction or intracranial hemorrhage. Although infection at the skin site after PEG placement is a typical late complication of PEG, a ruptured infectious pseudoaneurysm caused massive bleeding adjacent to the tract is rare. Prompt treatment is required to avoid the hemorrhage shock, however surgical ligation is difficult to obtain the arrest of bleeding in damaged skin due to the infection.

Case presentation

A 70-year-old male was bedridden due a cerebral infarction suffered 1 year previously. APEG was placed because of feeding problems, and a push-type, 20-Fr gastrostomy tube was inserted through the anterior abdominal wall. On day 16 after PEG placement, the patient had massive bleeding from the PEG site due to the rupture of infectious pseudoaneurysm and developed a decreased level of consciousness and hypotension. Treatment by percutaneous direct injection of a mixture of n-butyl-cyanoacrylate (NBCA)-lipiodol was performed and achieved good hemostasis is obtained.

Conclusions

A rare case of an infectious pseudoaneurysm that developed in the abdominal wall and caused massive bleeding at a PEG placement site was described. Percutaneous injection of a mixture of n-butyl-cyanoacrylate (NBCA)-lipiodol under ultrasound guidance is an effective treatment in this case.