[Non-surgical therapy of iatrogenic false aneurysms].

SUMMARY: False aneurysms occur after 0.1 - 1.5 % of all diagnostic and up to 6 % of all therapeutic percutaneous interventions. Surgery used to be the treatment of choice in symptomatic patients. But two non-invasive measures of treatment gain more attention: ultrasound guided compression (UGC) and ultrasound guided thrombin injection (UGTI). UGC with compression times from 30 - 120 min is effective in 80 % of patients without anticoagulation. However, UGC is often painful and results in prolongation of in-hospital time. UGTI is effective in 95 % of patients. Usually, 100 - 2000 U of thrombin are injected into the false aneurysm. UGTI is also effective in the presence of anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy. UGTI is not indicated in patients with a large communication with the native vessel and in arterio-venous-fistulas. In patients with large haematomas, ongoing bleeding, damage of the native vessel, compression of arteries, veins or neurological deficits, or with infections, early surgical repair is still the treatment of choice.