Ultrasound-guided para-aneurysmal saline injection for the treatment of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysm: preliminary results in 18 patients

Objective: To assess the clinical value of ultrasound-guided para-aneurysmal saline injection (PASI) in the treatment of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysm, i.e. postcatheterization femoral artery pseudoaneurysm (FAP). Methods: A total of 18 patients developed FAP after receiving interventional therapy through femoral artery puncturing, the diagnosis was confirmed by clinical and color ultrasonography examinations in all patients. Under real-time color Doppler ultrasound guidance and ECG monitoring, PASI was carried out. Local anesthesia was performed by injection of 5-10 ml of 1% lidocaine, which was followed by percutaneous puncturing with a 21-gauge needle, that was connected to a plastic syringe filled with 0.9% sodium chloride solution, into the site about 2-5 mm away from the fistula between the pseudoaneurysm and the formal artery, then, the saline was continuously and slowly injected into this area until the abnormal blood flow signal within the fistula disappeared. Manual compression was applied on the local area for about 5 minutes. The dose of injected saline and the total time of the procedure were recorded. Clinical and color Doppler ultrasound reexaminations were conducted at 24 hours, one week and one month after the treatment, and the local pulsation, murmur, intra-pseudoaneurysmal blood flow and thrombosis were tested. Results: Successful treatment with single procedure was achieved in 17 patients (17/18, 94.4%). In one patient continuous blood flow signal within the pseudoaneurysm was still observed at 24 hours after PASI, and successful closure of the pseudoaneurysm was obtained after the second time of PASI. The time of the procedure was 14-30 min, with a mean of (19.2 ± 8.0) min. The injection volume of saline was 40-150 mL, with a mean of (67.2 ± 29.3) mL. The treatment process could be well tolerated by all patients, only one patient developed transient bradycardia due to vagus reflex. Postoperative 30-day follow-up examination showed that no recurrent blood flow was detected within the pseudoaneurysm, no complications such as venous thrombosis, limb ischemia or local infection were observed, and the pseudoaneurysmal hematoma was completely absorbed. Conclusion: For the treatment of postcatheterization FAP, ultrasound-guided PASI is technically-simple and clinically-safe with low medical cost, besides, this therapy can be well tolerated by patients. Therefore, PASI is worthy of clinical application. (authors)