title: Ultrasound-guided puncture of the femoral artery for total percutaneous aortic aneurysm repair.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of ultrasound-guided femoral artery access for total percutaneous endovascular repair of abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total percutaneous aneurysm repair of the abdominal and thoracic aorta was performed in 52 consecutive patients (46 males, 6 females; mean age, 64.6±16 years; age range, 24-93 years) in a total of 85 access arteries. Of the aortic aneurysms repaired, 33 were abdominal, and 19 were thoracic. Ultrasound- guided puncture of the access artery was performed in all patients. The access artery was closed with a Prostar XL device at the end of the procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The outer diameter of the vascular sheaths or the stent graft system ranged from 14 F to 27 F. All but one patient achieved successful closure of the arterial puncture with the closure device. One patient required surgical cutdown because of device failure. Two patients required long-duration manual compression. Technical success was achieved in 49 patients (94%). Forty-five patients (87%) were discharged on the first postoperative day. There were no complications of the access arteries one day or one month postoperatively, as determined by ultrasonography and computed tomography examinations, respectively. The mean diameters of the access arteries prior to and one month after the procedure were unchanged, as demonstrated by computed tomography.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ultrasound-guided puncture of the common femoral artery for percutaneous closure of the access site has a high technical success rate and a very low complication rate. The addition of ultrasound guidance decreases the difficulty of the procedure and helps to avoid some of its complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Başkent University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. loguzkurt@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Levent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oğuzkurt
authors.forename: Kamil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gürel
authors.forename: Evren
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eker
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gür
authors.forename: Uğur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Özkan
authors.forename: Öner
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Gülcan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000601:surgery*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000601:surgery*; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011677:Punctures / Q000379:methods; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional; D055815:Young Adult