Percutaneous Mechanical Declotting of Thrombosed Dialysis Graft

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous mechanical declotting in thrombosed dialysis graft. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients with thrombosed dialysis graft in 260 cases involving insufficient hemodialytic access underwent mechanical declotting. Using a 7-F Desilets-Hoffman sheath and the crossed-catheter technique, we aspirated the intragraft clot and pushed the residual clot into the central circulation with balloon catheters. The success rate, procedure time, complications and patency rates were evaluated. RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in 24 of 32 cases, with a procedure time of 30 -240 (average, 111) minutes. In five of eight cases in which technical failure occurred, the guide wire failed to reach the stenotic site and in the other three, there was insufficient luminal dilatation. Complications included vein ruptures (n=2), arterial emboli (n=1) and arterial dissection (1), but there was no evidence of clinical symptoms of pulmonary embolism. The six-month patency rate was 67.8%. CONCLUSION: Mechanical declotting of thrombosed dialysis graft using a balloon catheter is relatively inexpensive, safe and fast, and is well tolerated.

Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty and Thrombolysis in the Management of Insufficient Hemodialysis Access: Long-Term Patency Rates and Factors Affecting Patency Rates

PURPOSE: To evaluate the success rates, long-term patency rates and factors affecting the patency rates of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and thrombolysis in the management of insufficient access during hemodialysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1991 and March 1995, 37 insufficient shunts (23 native fistulae and 14 graft fistulae) were treated in 31 patients. PTA was performed in 24 shunts, and thrombolysis in13; in seven of these latter, thrombolysis was followed by PTA. The success and long-term patency rates of PTA and thrombolysis were evaluated. Shunts were subdivided according to a patient's age, type and age of the shunt, and number and length of the stenosis, and the degree of residual stenosis and in each subgroup, patency rates was compared. RESULTS: The overall success rate of PTA and thrombolysis for insufficient hemodialytic access was 78.4% (29/37). The success rates of PTA and thrombolysis were 91.7% (22/24) and 53.8% (7/13), respectively. The patency rates of PTA (85.7% at 6 months, 78.6% at 12 months, and 55.9% at 24 months) were superior to those of thrombolysis (100% at 6 months and 0% at 12 months) (p=.014). Patency rates in each subgroup were not significantly different (p>.05). CONCLUSION: The success and patency rates of PTA were superior to those of thrombolysis, and after PTA or thrombolysis, no factors affected patency rates.