Treatment of arteriovenous access pseudoaneurysms using ultrasound guided balloon assisted thrombin injection: Two cases and systematic review of the literature.

BACKGROUND

Arteriovenous fistula pseudoaneurysm (AVF-PSA) is a common complication, usually caused during dialysis cannulation, which traditionally has been treated with open and less frequently endovascular techniques. Thrombin injection, although established in the treatment of arterial pseudoaneurysms, has barely been used in the treatment of AVF-PSA, due to concerns for AVF thrombosis or proximal embolization.

METHODS

A systematic review was performed according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed and Cochrane Central databases were reviewed and all clinical reports on AVF-PSA balloon assisted percutaneous thrombin injection through July 2022 were included. The electronic search yielded five case reports. Due to between-study differences and small sample size, the findings were summarized from each report, but the results were not pooled. Additionally, we present our own experience on two patients with AVF-PSA that were treated with balloon assisted percutaneous thrombin injection.

RESULTS

A total of five case reports (no of patients: 7, including ours) were included for review. Most of the patients were male ( = 6) and the mean age was 65.9 years. The average size of the PSA was 1.6 cm. In all cases a balloon was inflated to prevent thrombin and thrombotic material intrusion into the fistula lumen, prior to thrombin injection. In one patient n-butyl cyanoacrylate and Lipiodol were used, due to thrombin non availability. Recurrence was reported in only one patient, and average follow-up is 16 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Thrombin injection with concomitant balloon inflation seems to be a safe and effective treatment for arteriovenous fistula pseudoaneurysms. Future studies should be aimed at evaluating the long-term outcomes of such minimally invasive techniques.