Background: We evaluated the efficacy of transcatheter embolization in visceral artery pseudoaneurysms with platinum coils and N-butyl-cyano-acrylate (NBCA).
Methods: Over the past 7 years, 20 patients were treated by transcatheter embolization in the same sitting with diagnostic angiography. Four right hepatic, one cystic, two gastroduodenal, one cavernosal artery, three superior mesenteric artery branch, and 11 renal artery branch pseudoaneurysms were included in the study.
Results: Surgery was completely avoided in 19 patients. In the remaining patient with a superior mesenteric artery branch pseudoaneurysm, endovascular embolization was unsuccessful. Eighteen pseudoaneurysms were thrombosed with coil embolization alone. The remaining three pseudoaneurysms needed NBCA embolization. Two patients died from sepsis within 5 weeks after embolization.
Conclusion: Emergent diagnosis and treatment are essential in visceral artery pseudoaneurysms because of the high rate of death. Transcatheter embolization with platinum coils is an efficient, safe treatment of choice. NBCA may be used to avoid proximal embolization of the visceral arteries that could not be catheterized selectively because of tortuosity, vessel size, or anatomic location.