US-guided percutaneous thrombin injection to treat non-femoral artery pseudoaneurysms: preliminary experience and review of the literature

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical outcome of US-guided percutaneous thrombin injection in the treatment of non-femoral artery pseudoaneurysms (NFAP). Materials and methods: Among all pseudoaneurysms treated in our institution, we retrospectively collected NFAP embolized with percutaneous thrombin injections from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2021. The embolization was prompted for an ongoing antiaggregating/anticoagulation therapy, NFAP optimal US visibility, or high surgery-related risks. Causes, location, size and neck of NFAP, complications, number of repeated treatments, clinical success and patients clinical conditions at discharge were annotated. The endpoint for clinical success was the resolution of NFAP at postprocedural imaging, with no resort to surgery. Results: Eight consecutive patients (5 females, median age 73 years, range 46–84) underwent 16 procedures. Arterial damage was due to catheterization (3), CVC mispositioning (2), trauma, hemorrhagic diathesis and endoprosthesis endoleak. We treated humeral (2), subclavian (2), thyrocervical, anterior tibial, radial and pancreaticoduodenal arteries. Median pseudoaneurysm size was 530 mm2 (range 32–2400 mm2), with a thin (7/8) or non-visible (1/8) neck. No complications occurred. Clinical success was obtained in 7/8 patients (88%), with a single treatment in 4, multiple in 3 cases (4 embolizations, 3 and 2, respectively). One patient underwent surgical suture after the second failed attempt of percutaneous embolization. Seven patients were discharged in good clinical conditions; one died during hospitalization, due to the worsening of the underlying cardiac disease. Conclusions: Percutaneous US-guided thrombin injection to treat NFAP is feasible in selected cases, with rare complications. Clinical success is often reached, also by repeated injections.