Percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy is a common procedure in interventional radiology. Systemic arterial air embolism causing cerebral infarction is a rare but much feared complication of percutaneous lung biopsy. We present a comprehensive review of iatrogenic air embolism post-lung biopsy, a complication that is often sub optimally managed. Patho-physiology, clinical features, and risk factors and management are reviewed.
Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication of liver directed procedures. Several strategies for treatment of pseudoaneurysms have been described. We describe a challenging case in which a small bleeding hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm is complicated by a proximal hepatic arterial occlusion, preventing transcatheter access. The aneurysm was too small to be seen on ultrasound. Using combined angiographic and fluoroscopic guidance, however, the aneurysm was triangulated and successfully treated with percutaneous direct thrombin injection. Combined angiography and fluoroscopy guided percutaneous thrombin injection of intrahepatic pseudoaneurysms can be a valuable treatment approach, particularly when other methods are not feasible or have failed.
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