Treating Femoral Artery Pseudoaneurysm by Tumescence Anesthesia and Echo-Guided Compression Technique (TACT): Clinical Outcome in 82 Consecutive Patients

Abstract

Purpose:

Pseudoaneurysm (PA) of the access artery is a common and potentially severe complication after percutaneous endovascular interventions. Most PA require interventional therapy, including thrombin injection, covered stent implantation, or surgical repair, which are costly and associated with other complications. Treating PA by external compression is uncomfortable and time consuming, with a low success rate. By injecting local tumescence anesthesia around the PA and close to its neck, the tumescence anesthesia and echo-guided compression technique (TACT) aims to improve efficacy and patient’s comfort.

Materials and Methods:

We retrospectively reviewed all consecutive patients treated for femoral PA in our center from May 2009 to July 2019 and estimated efficacy and safety. Vascular specialists performed TACT according to a standardized protocol including ultrasound-guided injection of tumescence solution (45 ml of 0.9% saline, 15 ml of lidocaine 1%/epinephrine 5 μg/ml) in the soft tissue around the PA and its neck, local compression with the sonography probe until PA closure, and external compression by elastic belt for 3 hours.

Results:

Among a total of 125 patients with femoral artery PA, 82 (65.6%) were treated by TACT (including 3 patients with haemorrhagic shock), 14 (11.2%) by thrombin injection; 12 (9.6%) by endovascular interventions; 8 (6.4%) by open surgery; and 9 (7.2%) conservatively. In patients treated by TACT, PA neck was short (<1 cm) in 51.8% and mean cavity diameter 30 ± 23 mm. After injection of 58 ± 8 ml of tumescence solution, mean time of echo-guided compression was 12 ± 8 minutes. Pseudoaneurysm was successfully closed in 92.7% after the first attempt and in 96.3% after the second attempt. The intervention was well tolerated, without any adverse event.

Conclusion:

Tumescence anesthesia and echo-guided compression technique (TACT) is an effective and safe treatment for PA. Compared to other therapies, TACT is minimally invasive and widely available for minimal costs, even for large PA and in unstable patients.

Clinical Impact

Tumescence anesthesia and echo-guided compression technique seems to be an efficient, safe, and a fair economical choice in comparison with alternative techniques. The implementation of this procedure is simple with low risk of complications. Based on the results of this study, we believe that TACT should be considered as the first-line treatment of most iatrogenic PA.