Treatment of iatrogenic femoral artery pseudoaneurysms using ultrasound-guided injection of thrombin.

AIM

To evaluate the use of ultrasound-guided percutaneous injection of thrombin for treatment of femoral artery pseudoaneurysms.

METHOD

Nine patients with a confirmed femoral false aneurysm were included in the study. 0.5-1 ml of a 2000 U/ml solution of activated bovine thrombin was injected under ultrasound visualization into the neck of the aneurysm to induce thrombosis. The parent artery and adjacent major vessels were checked during and after the procedure to exclude propagation of thrombus. A check ultrasound examination was undertaken on the following day.

RESULTS

Eight patients were successfully treated by a single injection. One patient required a second injection due to recurrence of their pseudoaneurysm 4 days after the initial treatment. The procedure was well tolerated in all cases and no complications were encountered.

CONCLUSION

This small series provides further evidence that ultrasound-guided thrombin injection is a promising new method for the treatment of femoral false aneurysms.Hughes, M. J. et al. (2000). Clinical Radiology55, 749-751.