Access site pseudoaneurysms after endovascular intervention for peripheral arterial diseases

Advancements in Vascular Closure Devices for Effective Hemostasis in Femoral Artery Interventions

With medical technology development, endovascular intervention has been widely used in clinical practice, and the establishment of surgical access through the femoral artery, where most vascular interventions are performed, is a common method. Postoperative hemostasis at the femoral artery puncture site is a key part of interventional procedures and is particularly important to ensure the safety and effectiveness of hemostasis. Some patients undergoing interventional therapy also use anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs preoperatively and undergo systemic heparin session intraoperatively, which leads to abnormal coagulation, thus increasing the difficulty of hemostasis at the puncture point postoperatively. Certain patients with specific conditions, such as combined vascular calcification, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and renal impairment, present more challenging cases for postoperative puncture point hemostasis. Femoral artery puncture site hemostasis methods include manual compression, arterial compression devices, and vascular closure devices, which are a kind of equipment that helps interventional doctors stop bleeding quickly at the femoral artery puncture site. From the 1990s to the present, vascular occluders with many different concepts and mechanisms have emerged. Based on different hemostatic principles and materials, the mechanisms and principles of action are varied and include sealant occlusion, collagen patch embolization, polyester suture closure, absorbable polyethanol embolic agents, nickel-titanium alloy clips, polydiethanol sealant embolization, and suture bioabsorbable patches. Many studies have compared the hemostatic effect of vascular closure devices with those of manual compression. In this article, we review the hemostatic effects of the 2 modalities and the advances in the use of vascular closure devices in vascular intervention.

CTA Imaging of Peripheral Arterial Injuries

Traumatic vascular injuries consist of direct or indirect damage to arteries and/or veins and account for 3% of all traumatic injuries. Typical consequences are hemorrhage and ischemia. Vascular injuries of the extremities can occur isolated or in association with major trauma and other organ injuries. They account for 1-2% of patients admitted to emergency departments and for approximately 50% of all arterial injuries. Lower extremities are more frequently injured than upper ones in the adult population. The outcome of vascular injuries is strictly correlated to the environment and the time background. Treatment can be challenging, notably in polytrauma because of the dilemma of which injury should be prioritized, and treatment delay can cause disability or even death, especially for limb vascular injury. Our purposes are to discuss the role of computed tomography angiography (CTA) in the diagnosis of vascular trauma and its optimized protocol to achieve a definitive diagnosis and to assess the radiological signs of vascular injuries and the possible pitfalls.

Early and Midterm Outcomes of Endovascular Treatment in Arterial Manifestations of Vascular Behcet Disease

BACKGROUND

Behcet's disease (BD), originally described by Hulusi Behcet in 1937, is a chronic relapsing inflammatory process of an immunologic syndrome and the involvement of the vascular system is called Vasculo-Behcet disease (VBD). This is a retrospective study evaluating 21 patients diagnosed with VBD who underwent endovascular treatment.

METHODS

This single-center study was conducted between January 2016 and January 2022. Early and mid-term endovascular outcomes of a total of 21 patients (16 males, 5 females with a median age of 42 years; range, 31 to 46 years), with a diagnosis of VBD, who underwent endovascular arterial repair in our hospital, were retrospectively analyzed. Follow-ups were scheduled for the first and sixth postoperative months and every 6 months thereafter. For symptomatic patients, imaging studies and additional interventions were planned. The primary outcomes were a procedural success and a requirement for reintervention. Secondary outcomes were complications and all causes of mortality.

RESULTS

Twenty-one patients underwent endovascular repair. In this study, 1 balloon-expandable stent for brachial artery aneurysm (4,8%), 1 viabahn graft for femoral artery aneurysm (4,8%), 2 tube endograft for ruptured iliac artery aneurysm (9,5%), 1 tube endograft (Thoracic endovascular aortic repair [TEVAR]) insertion at the aortic bifurcation for infrarenal abdominal aortic occlusion (4,8%), 1 chimney-TEVAR for saccular arcus thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) (4,8%) and 7 TEVAR for saccular TAA (33,3%), 1 EVAR for an intact and symptomatic infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) (4,8%), 1 EVAR (aorto-uniiliac) for ruptured iliac artery aneurysm (4,8%), and 6 EVAR for ruptured AAA (28,5%) were deployed. The technical success rate was 100% with a mean follow-up period of 50. 4 ± 10.7 months (8-66 months). The mean aneurysm diameter was 10,7 ± 53 mm. In the follow-up period, 3 patients presented with a hematoma at the insertion site of the sheath (14.3%). There were no early mortalities. Three patients required reintervention (14,3%); 1 of these underwent open surgical repair due to a pseudoaneurysm of the access site (4,8%). The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed freedom from reintervention rate as 94,1 ± 5,7% at 1 year, 85,6 ± 9,7% at 3 years, and 68,4 ± 17,1% at 5 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Awareness of the BD especially for vascular involvements in young ages is lifesaving. Endovascular therapy with proper medical treatment seems to be the treatment of choice according to the early and midterm successful results with low morbidity and mortality.

Single ultrasound-guided local high-dose thrombin injection in the treatment of giant brachial artery pseudoaneurysm: A case report

RATIONALE

Pseudoaneurysm (PSA) is a common complication related to vascular intervention, and surgical therapy is the primary method. However, a giant brachial artery PSA over 2 weeks is rarely observed. Due to the adhesion of surrounding tissue, thrombus organization, the extensive injury, and the high expense of transluminal stent-graft placement, a single ultrasound-guided local high-dose thrombin injection can be a therapy option. Such cases are rarely reported.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 71-year-old man with a history of left elbow fossa interventional puncture presented to our hospital with a pulsatile mass in the left elbow fossa. He had a history of cerebral infarction 32 years prior without sequelae, emphysema for more than 2 years, hyperlipidemia for 3 months, and prostatic hyperplasia for 8 months. After conservative therapy, the lumbar compression fracture produced by trauma 24 years ago healed, and the intracranial hematoma induced by trauma ten years ago was absorbed.

DIAGNOSIS

Ultrasound examination showed giant mixed echoes on the posterior medial side of the left brachial artery.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient underwent a single ultrasound-guided local high-dose thrombin injection to treat giant brachial artery PSA.

OUTCOMES

Following therapy, the ultrasonography revealed that extensive thrombosis immediately formed in the cavity, and the internal blood flow signals had completely vanished. A week later, a physical examination showed that the PSA had shrunk with no apparent tenderness and that the texture had hardened. Pulsation and vascular murmurs disappeared. Ultrasound showed that the PSA was reduced, and no blood flow signals were found.

LESSONS

A single ultrasound-guided local high-dose thrombin injection had a considerable effect in curing large iatrogenic PSA. However, when deciding on the best therapy, specificity must be taken into account.

Incidence of and predisposing factors for pseudoaneurysm formation in a high-volume cardiovascular center

Purpose

To evaluate factors associated with pseudoaneurysm (PSA) development.

Methods

Between January 2016 and May 2020, 30,196 patients had invasive vascular radiological or cardiac endovascular procedures that required arterial puncture. All patients with PSA were identified. A matched (age, gender, and type of the procedure) control group of 134 patients was created to reveal predictors of PSA formation.

Results

Single PSAs were found in 134 patients. Fifty-three PSAs developed after radiological procedures (53/6555 [0.8%]), 31 after coronary artery procedures (31/18038 [0.2%]), 25 after non-coronary artery cardiac procedures (25/5603 [0.4%]), and 25 due to procedures in which the arterial puncture was unintended. Thirty-four PSAs (25.4%) were localized to the upper extremity arteries (vascular closure device [VCD], N = 0), while 100 (74.6%) arose from the lower extremity arteries (VCD, N = 37). The PSA prevalence was 0.05% (10/20478) in the radial artery, 0.1% (2/1818) in the ulnar artery, 1.2% (22/1897) in the brachial artery, and 0.4% (99/22202) in the femoral artery. Treatments for upper and lower limb PSAs were as follows: bandage replacement (32.4% and 14%, respectively), ultrasound-guided compression (11.8% and 1%, respectively), ultrasound-guided thrombin injection (38.2% and 78%, respectively), and open surgery (17.6% and 12%, respectively). Reintervention was necessary in 19 patients (14.2%). The prevalence of PSA for the punctured artery with and without VCD use was 37/3555 (1%) and 97/27204 (0.4%), respectively (OR, 2.94; 95% CI, 1.95–4.34; P<0.001). The effect of red blood cell (RBC) count (P<0.001), hematocrit value (P<0.001), hemoglobin value (P<0.001), international normalized ratio (INR; P<0.001), RBC count—INR interaction (P = 0.003), and RBC count—VCD use interaction (P = 0.036) on PSA formation was significant.

Conclusion

Patients in whom the puncture site is closed with a VCD require increased observation. Preprocedural laboratory findings are useful for the identification of patients at high risk of PSA formation.

Safety and efficacy of the transbrachial approach for endovascular thrombectomy in patients with acute large vessel occlusion stroke

BACKGROUND

The transbrachial approach (TBA) is an alternative method to the transfemoral approach (TFA). We herein aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the TBA for endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in patients with acute large vessel occlusion stroke.

METHODS

We reviewed the records of 297 patients who had undergone EVT from January 2015 to July 2019. Eighteen patients who had undergone 19 procedures were included. Indications for arterial access, devices, recanalization rates, complication rates, and clinical outcomes were evaluated.

RESULTS

There were 15 and 4 cases of anterior and posterior circulation stroke, respectively. The mean patient age was 80.1 years. Eight patients were male. The median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 18. The total procedure duration tended to be longer when the TBA was used after failure of the TFA (n = 6, 32%, median: 60.5 min) than when the TBA was used as the first treatment approach (n = 13, 68%, median: 22 min). Optimal recanalization (a modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score of 2b or 3) was achieved for 15 procedures. Local complications were observed in two cases: one with brachial artery pseudoaneurysm and another with brachial artery occlusion. Three patients with anterior circulation stroke exhibited good clinical outcomes (modified Rankin score ≤ 2) at 90 days. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred in one patient. Mortality was noted in four patients.

CONCLUSION

The TBA for EVT is a suitable alternative when adoption of the TFA is difficult or impossible.

Ultrasound-guided thrombin injection for treatment of iatrogenic femoral artery pseudoaneurysms compared with open surgery: first experiences from a single institution

Purpose

The frequency of iatrogenic femoral artery pseudoaneurysm (FAP) diagnoses has recently increased due to the growing use of diagnostic and interventional procedures involving large diameter sheaths, as well as more potent anticoagulation procedures. In this study, we aimed to present our experience with ultrasound-guided thrombin injection (UGTI) in patients with iatrogenic FAP.

Methods

We studied patients with FAP who were under anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapies preoperatively, or who had received a loading dose during an interventional procedure. The outcomes of patients with FAP treated with UGTI were compared with those of patients who underwent open surgical repair for pseudoaneurysms.

Results

Among the 55 patients included in this study, 24 had UGTI while 31 had open surgery. The success rate was 95.8% when taking into consideration primary and secondary attempts. The mean duration of the procedure was shorter in patients with UGTI (10.1 ± 3.54 minutes) when compared with those who underwent open surgery (76.55 ± 26.74 minutes, P ≤ 0.001). In addition, the total complication frequency was significantly higher in the open surgery group (P = 0.005), as was their length of hospital stay (P < 0.001). Cost analysis showed significant differences between UGTI ($227.50 ± $82.90) and open surgery ($471.20 ± $437.60, P = 0.01).

Conclusion

We have found that UGTI is the safer and more effective choice of treatment in appropriate patients with FAP, as opposed to surgery.

Short-term outcome of primary stent graft for peripheral artery aneurysm in patients with Behçet disease

OBJECTIVE

Endovascular treatment of peripheral artery aneurysms (PAAs) in patients with Behçet disease is controversial. We report a single-institution experience of primary stent graft repair of PAAs in Behçet patients.

METHODS

Behçet patients who had endovascular stent graft repair of PAAs at a single center between January 2012 and December 2018 were identified. Demographics, past medical history, cardiovascular risk profile, and perioperative details were analyzed.

RESULTS

Twenty-two patients (mean age, 38 ± 7 years; 100% male) were included. The distribution of PAAs was external iliac artery in 2 (9%) patients, common femoral artery in 4 (18%) patients, superficial femoral artery in 15 (68%) patients, and above-knee popliteal artery in 1 (5%) patient. Pseudoaneurysm was diagnosed in five (23%) patients. We used antegrade access in the majority of patients (16 [73%]). Technical success was achieved in 21 (95%) patients. The mean hospital stay was 3 ± 2 days. There were no deaths or serious complications, and five (23%) patients experienced access site complications. The mean follow-up was 23 ± 11 months. The early primary and assisted primary patency rate was 91%. However, follow-up computed tomography angiography detected stent graft occlusion in six patients (27%).

CONCLUSIONS

Stent graft for PAA in patients with Behçet disease had a high early patency rate and minimal morbidity. However, the complication and reintervention rates were high during follow-up, with low surgical conversion.

Pseudoaneurisma traumático em artéria braquial após retirada de implante contraceptivo subdérmico

Resumo Os procedimentos terapêuticos invasivos têm aumentado frequentemente com a evolução da medicina, consequentemente aumentando o número de complicações decorrentes deles. O dispositivo contraceptivo subdérmico (DCS) tem um benefício para a contracepção feminina, mas o implante e a retirada apresentam uma taxa de complicações em torno de 3%. Neste artigo, relatamos e discutimos um caso de pseudoaneurisma traumático da artéria braquial após tentativa de retirada do implante, complicada com a compressão do nervo mediano.