CAUSE, TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF PSEUDO ANEURYSM OF THE FEMORAL-ARTERY AFTER DIAGNOSTIC AND INTERVENTIONAL CARDIAC-CATHETERIZATION

Objective: As pseudoaneurysm of the femoral artery after catheter intr oduction is a frequent complication, its causes and therapeutic option s were investigated in a large patient collective. Patients and method s: In a prospective study with colour-Doppler duplex sonography of 692 8 patients after diagnostic and of 3764 after interventional cardiac c atheterisation, pseudoaneurysms were diagnosed in 80 patients (0.75%), 46 after diagnostic (0.66%) and 34 after interventional (0.9%) cathet erisation. Results: The incidence was higher in women than men (1.33 % vs 0.58%; P < 0.05). Anticoagulation after sheath removal was the lea ding risk factor(n = 55, 68.8 %), especially after interventional coro nary intervention 85.3 vs 56.5 %, P < 0.05). Local compression under d uplex sonography monitoring was undertaken in 69 patients (86.3%), ach ieving aneurysmal obliteration in 53 (76.8 %). Spontaneous thrombosis occurred in 15 of the remaining 27 patients, and surgical closure beca me necessary in 12. Conclusions: These data indicate a risk profile fo r the occurrence of pseudoaneurysm after cardiac catheterisation which can be dealt with by preventive measures. Local compression under dup lex sonographic monitoring was the treatment of choice with a high suc cess rate and low incidence of complications.