Ultrasound-guided thrombin injection is the treatment of choice for femoral pseudoaneurysms.

Overview

HYPOTHESIS: Ultrasound-guided injection of thrombin is the treatment of choice for femoral pseudoaneurysms. DESIGN: A prospective study of patients undergoing a single form of treatment for femoral pseudoaneurysms. SETTING: Patients were treated at 2 tertiary care, university-affiliated hospitals. PATIENTS: Forty consecutive patients with femoral pseudoaneurysms resulting from diagnostic and therapeutic catheterizations for peripheral arterial, coronary arterial, and cerebrovascular diseases were evaluated. INTERVENTION: Thrombin was injected directly into the pseudoaneurysms under ultrasonographic guidance. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Thrombosis of the pseudoaneurysm following thrombin injection was the goal of treatment. RESULTS: All 40 patients had initial complete thrombosis of their femoral pseudoaneurysms. In each case, except for one, the aneurysm was noted to have thrombosed on follow-up duplex ultrasonogram. There was one complication. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided thrombin injection is the treatment of choice for femoral pseudoaneurysms.