Hemorrhage From a Right Hepatic Artery Pseudoaneurysm:Endovascular Treatment With a Coronary Stent-Graft

Spontaneous resolution of asymptomatic hepatic pseudoaneurysm post radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of a hepatic tumour is an established treatment option with an acceptable complication rate. Formation of a pseudoaneurysm after RFA of liver metastasis is an uncommon complication. We report the case of a 69-year-old female patient developing a hepatic pseudoaneurysm after RFA of liver metastasis. On a follow-up CT scan 6 weeks later, there was spontaneous resolution of the pseudoaneurysm. Hepatic pseudoaneurysms are usually treated owing to the risk of rupture. Invasive procedures or conservative management of an asymptomatic hepatic pseudoaneurysm is still the subject of debate. The spontaneous resolution of a hepatic pseudoaneurysm in our patient suggests that an asymptomatic pseudoaneurysm maybe observed for resolution instead of being treated at presentation.

Massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to right hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to cholecystitis

A literature trawl reveals a substantial number of reports on true visceral aneurysms, including the hepatic artery, but only a handful of cases of visceral pseudoaneurysms. The ones in relation to the biliary tree are associated with previous gall bladder surgery and can result in significant gastrointestinal bleeding. There are more than 10 reported cases of cystic artery pseudoaneurysms but a thorough search revealed only two cases in English (1,2) and perhaps one in Japanese literature of right hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to cholecystitis presenting as massive upper gastrointestinal bleed. We present a probable fourth case in a 52 year old woman with classical clinical/biochemical picture, typical radiological appearance and who underwent successful interventional radiological treatment of this condition.

[Pseudoaneurysm of the hepatic artery: rare complication of chronic pancreatitis]

Bleeding from a pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication of chronic pancreatitis. We present two cases of ruptured pseudoaneurysms of the hepatic arteries. The first case involved a pancreatic pseudocyst that ruptured in the duodenum and the second resulted in an intrahepatic hematoma that compressed the bile tract causing secondary hemobilia. Angiographic embolization was the primary treatment in both cases, with surgery for the first patient and later radiological drainage in the second. The hemorrhage was controlled in both cases despite the severe prognosis and high mortality in these cases.

Combined Endovascular–Open Surgical Procedure in a Great Hepatic Artery Aneurysm

Visceral artery aneurysms are rare lesions. They involve the hepatic artery in approximately 20% of cases. Various therapeutic options are available for patients with hepatic artery aneurysms (HAAs). Dictated predominately by the need to maintain distal end-organ perfusion, potential therapies include traditional surgical techniques and laparoscopic surgery, endovascular methods of embolization, and stenting of the lesions. There is still a lack of studies demonstrating the comparative efficacy or inefficacy of any particular treatment, so there are currently no precise indications for determining which type of treatment should be used. In this paper, we present a case of great HAA in a 59-year-old man. He was preoperatively diagnosed and treated with a combined surgical and endovascular approach. The clinical presentation, management, and therapy of patients with HAAs are discussed. In addition to that, we reviewed the literature dealing with HAAs. This case report lays emphasis on the aspect that the treatment strategy in HAAs has to be determined individually in each case due to the high anatomic variability of the arterial supply of the liver. Treatment with a combined surgical and endovascular approach may reduce the risk of liver ischemia and morbidity.

Case report: hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm after liver transplantation: definitive treatment with a stent-graft after failed coil embolisation

A 69-year-old woman presented with massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding owing to a ruptured hepatic pseudoaneurysm located at the surgical arterial anastomosis, 2 months after combined liver and kidney transplantation. Initially the pseudoaneurysm was successfully coiled but 3 weeks later recurrence of her symptoms occurred. Hepatic angiography revealed partial reperfusion of the coiled pseudoaneurysm; definitive treatment was performed by placement of an expanded-polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE) covered coronary stent-graft, completely excluding the pseudoaneurysm. Radiological follow-up studies demonstrate a patent stent-graft functioning normally.

Mycotic Pseudoaneurysms After Liver Transplantation

The most frequent etiology of visceral artery aneurysms is arteriosclerosis, but vascular manipulation during hepatic transplantation may also cause a mycotic pseudoaneurysm. Treatment with embolization, stents or percutaneous thrombin injection have been recommended but surgical revascularization is indicated when interventional techniques fail. A 43-year-old man with hepatitis C virus cirrhosis who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation from a cadaveric donor was treated with cyclosporine, mycophenolate, and steroids and was discharged from hospital at 35 days. Two months later he was readmitted with a febrile syndrome. Abdominal computed tomography showed necrosis of hepatic segments IV, V, and VI. Magnetic resonance imaging and angiography revealed partial thrombosis of the hepatic artery and stenosis of the portal anastomosis secondary to an aneurysm of the hepatic artery. A few hours after the radiological diagnosis, the patient suffered a bout of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and shock. Emergency surgery revealed a mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the common hepatic artery, which had ruptured into the bile tract with hemobilia. The liver graft was removed because of severe necrosis of the right liver. The patient died awaiting a new liver transplantation.

Complications After Percutaneous Transaxillary Implantation of a Catheter for Intraarterial Chemotherapy of Liver Tumors:Clinical Relevance and Management in 204 Patients

OBJECTIVE

The purposes of the study were to evaluate the complications of patients who underwent percutaneous transaxillary implantation of a permanent catheter-port system for intraarterial hepatic chemotherapy and determine their clinical relevance and specific management. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Catheter-port systems were placed in 204 patients with liver tumors (86.7% from colorectal metastases). Under sonographic and fluoroscopic guidance, a 5.8-French catheter was placed in the hepatic artery and connected to a subcutaneous reservoir after embolization of the gastroduodenal and right gastric arteries. Floxuridine plus dexamethasone and systemic low-dose heparin were administered. During the follow-up period, complications were classified as clinically not significant (type 1), clinically significant not requiring interruption of intrahepatic chemotherapy (type 2), clinically significant needing temporary suppression of intrahepatic chemotherapy (type 3), and clinically significant causing permanent suppression of intrahepatic chemotherapy (type 4).

RESULTS

No complications occurred during the implantation procedures. The mean number of intrahepatic chemotherapy cycles was 8.1. The mean follow-up period was 270 days. Primary and secondary patency rates of the system were 71.6% and 91.2%, respectively. Temporary suppression of intrahepatic chemotherapy was necessary in 19.6% of the patients and definitive suppression, in 8.8%. Hepatic artery thrombosis, not recanalized by local thrombolysis, was the main cause of permanent intrahepatic chemotherapy interruption (4.4%). Catheter occlusions and cerebral complications were not observed. In 91.2% of the patients, intrahepatic chemotherapy could be completed.

CONCLUSION

Percutaneous implantation of a removable and reimplantable catheter-port system for intrahepatic chemotherapy can be a safe procedure to treat unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer. Technical and pharmacologic complications with variable clinical relevance occurred, and various specific management strategies were necessary to reduce their incidence.

Percutaneous stent-graft treatment of superior mesenteric and internal iliac artery pseudoaneurysms

Traumatic pseudoaneurysms can cause compression of adjacent structures and hemorrhage. The mortality rate for bleeding visceral artery pseudoaneurysms is particularly high, and surgical repair is all but impossible in some cases. The authors describe two cases in which traumatic pseudoaneurysms of the internal iliac and superior mesenteric arteries were successfully treated with a low-profile stent-graft (Jostent) designed for coronary use. The technical and regulatory issues pertinent to this device are discussed.