Endovascular procedures overview

Endovascular procedures overview

Endovascular procedures overview

On this page

🔩 Core Principles - Wires & Wonders

The foundation of endovascular access is the Seldinger Technique, enabling percutaneous entry into a vessel.

  • 1. Needle: Puncture the target vessel.
  • 2. Guidewire: Pass through the needle into the lumen.
  • 3. Sheath/Catheter: Advance over the wire; remove wire.

Essential Toolkit:

  • Guidewires: Provide a "rail" for device delivery.
  • Sheaths: Maintain access, prevent bleeding.
  • Catheters: For angiography or device passage.
  • Balloons/Stents: For angioplasty (PTA) & scaffolding.

Seldinger technique for vascular access

High-Yield: The common femoral artery (CFA) is the most frequent access site. Puncture should be over the femoral head to allow effective compression and minimize retroperitoneal hemorrhage risk.

🗺️ Anatomy - Vascular Superhighways

  • Primary Arterial Access: Common Femoral Artery (CFA) is the workhorse.
    • Location: Below inguinal ligament, over the femoral head.
    • 📌 Mnemonic (Lateral to Medial): NAVEL (Nerve, Artery, Vein, Empty space, Lymphatics).
  • Alternative Arterial Access:
    • Upper Extremity: Radial, Brachial arteries (e.g., cardiac cath, upper extremity pathology).
    • Lower Extremity: Popliteal, Tibial arteries (for distal leg interventions).
  • Primary Venous Access:
    • Common Femoral Vein (medial to CFA).
    • Internal Jugular Vein (especially for IVC filters, central lines).

Femoral artery access site for endovascular procedures

High-Yield: The ideal CFA puncture is over the femoral head. This bony backstop allows effective compression. Puncturing above the inguinal ligament risks a non-compressible, life-threatening retroperitoneal bleed.

🛠️ Management - Plumbing a New Way

  • Core Principle: Minimally invasive procedures performed within the vascular system, primarily via percutaneous access (e.g., common femoral artery).
  • Foundation: Seldinger technique (needle → guidewire → sheath) for safe vessel access.
  • Imaging: Fluoroscopy with iodinated contrast is essential for real-time visualization.

Common Interventions:

  • Angioplasty (PTA): Balloon inflation to dilate stenotic vessels (e.g., PAD).
  • Stenting: Metallic scaffold to maintain patency. Drug-eluting stents (DES) release antiproliferative agents to ↓ restenosis vs. bare-metal stents (BMS).
  • Atherectomy: Mechanical plaque removal (cutting, grinding, laser).
  • Embolization: Occluding vessels (e.g., GI bleed, trauma) with coils or particles.
  • Thrombectomy/Thrombolysis: Mechanical removal or pharmacological dissolution of acute clots.
  • EVAR/TEVAR: Endovascular repair of abdominal/thoracic aortic aneurysms using stent-grafts.

⭐ EVAR has lower peri-operative mortality than open AAA repair but requires lifelong surveillance imaging to detect endoleaks (persistent blood flow into the aneurysm sac).

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) stent graft diagram

⚠️ Complications - When Wires Go Wrong

  • Access Site:

    • Hematoma/Bleeding: Most common.
    • Pseudoaneurysm: Pulsatile mass with systolic bruit. 💡Dx with duplex US.
    • AV Fistula: Continuous "machinery" bruit.
    • Retroperitoneal Hemorrhage: High femoral stick (above inguinal ligament) → hypotension, flank pain, ↓Hct.
  • Intra-procedural:

    • Dissection: Guidewire creates a false lumen.
    • Perforation: Can cause hemorrhage or tamponade.
    • Thrombosis: Acute occlusion at the treatment site.
    • Distal Embolization: Atheroemboli ("trash foot"/blue toe syndrome) or thromboemboli causing acute limb ischemia.

⭐ Suspect retroperitoneal hemorrhage with post-procedure hypotension and flank pain, even with a normal groin exam. Confirm with a non-contrast CT of the abdomen/pelvis.

⚡ Biggest Takeaways

  • Endovascular procedures are minimally invasive, using catheters via the common femoral artery.
  • Key interventions include angioplasty (PTA), stenting, and Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR/TEVAR).
  • Major risks: access site complications (retroperitoneal hemorrhage, pseudoaneurysm) and contrast-induced nephropathy.
  • Distal embolization ("trash foot" or blue toe syndrome) can result from dislodged atheromatous plaque.
  • Endoleaks are a unique EVAR complication; Type II (collateral back-bleeding) is the most common.

Practice Questions: Endovascular procedures overview

Test your understanding with these related questions

A 72-year-old woman comes to the physician for follow-up care. One year ago, she was diagnosed with a 3.8-cm infrarenal aortic aneurysm found incidentally on abdominal ultrasound. She has no complaints. She has hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and COPD. Current medications include hydrochlorothiazide, lisinopril, glyburide, and an albuterol inhaler. She has smoked a pack of cigarettes daily for 45 years. Her temperature is 37°C (98.6°F), pulse is 90/min, respirations are 12/min, and blood pressure is 145/85 mm Hg. Examination shows a faint abdominal bruit on auscultation. Ultrasonography of the abdomen shows a 4.9-cm saccular dilation of the infrarenal aorta. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

1 of 5

Flashcards: Endovascular procedures overview

1/9

_____ is an overuse injury of young, female athletes with anterior knee pain.

TAP TO REVEAL ANSWER

_____ is an overuse injury of young, female athletes with anterior knee pain.

Patellofemoral syndrome

browseSpaceflip

Enjoying this lesson?

Get full access to all lessons, practice questions, and more.

Start Your Free Trial