Objectives: The aim of this article is to report our experience in the use of a new technique for the treatment of type II endoleaks which appear after the endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms.
Materials and methods: In three patients with secondary type II endoleaks, we performed a translumbar puncture, introducing a 22-Gauge needle into the aneurysm sac under CT guidance. Once intrasac pressure had been registered, 1000U (2 ml) of human thrombin were slowly injected into the sac.
Results: Complete sealing of the endoleak was achieved in all three patients, confirmed by the lack of contrast filling of the sac in the CT scans performed 5 min and 24 h after the procedure. Initial intrasac pressure was equal to systolic arterial pressure in the three patients. After the procedure, the pressure decreased by 30-40 mmHg. There were no complications during the procedure, which lasted 45-90 min. No endoleak recurrence has been observed in any of the three cases 6 months later.
Conclusions: We present an alternative method of treating type II endoleaks, which could become the treatment of choice if and when a wider experience confirms our initial good results.