Compression Repair Versus Low-dose Thrombin Injection for the Treatment of Iatrogenic Femoral Pseudoaneurysm: a Retrospective Case-control Study

Background: It has been shown that thrombin injection is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysm. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the use of ultrasound-guided low-dose thrombin injections with ultrasonographically-guided compression repair in the treatment of iatrogenic femoral arterial pseudoaneurysm.

Methods: We compared two cohorts of patients treated for iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysm: the first included 38 patients who underwent ultrasonographically-guided compression repair as a first-step approach between January 1998 and November 2002; the second included 21 patients treated with ultrasound-guided low-dose thrombin injection between December 2002 and December 2003.

Results: Both groups had similar demographic characteristics and aneurysm sizes (p = 0.72). Compression was successful in 24/38 patients (63%); the 14 persistent aneurysms were surgically repaired (37%). The primary thrombin injection of a mean dose of 185+/-95 U/ml (range 100-400 U/ml) successfully obliterated all of the 21 pseudoaneurysms (success rate 100 vs 63% in the compression group, p = 0.004). Thrombosis occurred within an average of 12+/-15 s of thrombin injection. Sedation was used in 42% of the patients undergoing compression and in none of those receiving thrombin (p = 0.001). The duration of hospitalization was significantly longer in patients undergoing compression therapy (9.8+/-5.6 vs 5.6+/-1.4 days, p = 0.001).

Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided low-dose thrombin injection appears to be more effective in reducing the need for surgical repair when used to treat iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysm, is better tolerated by the patients, and requires a shorter hospital stay.