Percutaneous Retrograde Abdominal Aortography Complication

Percutaneous aortography and selective arteriography by the Seldinger technique has become a widely accepted diagnostic procedure. Like any other catheterization technique, percutaneous introduction of a catheter into the lumen of an artery may be accompanied by possible complications.1-13The most common serious complication is arterial thrombosis,4,6,8-12usually occurring at the site of the arterial puncture. Intimal injuries are without sequelae in most instances2,3,6and rarely require surgical intervention.8,13 A patient with a dissection of the aortic bifurcation and complete obstruction of the left common iliac artery following percutaneous catheterization from the right femoral artery is presented as an unusual, previously unreported, complication of this technique. Report of a Case A 48-year-old Negro man was admitted to the hospital on June 30, 1969, for evaluation because of repeated episodes of hematuria following sexual intercourse. Except for several years' history of elevated blood pressure, his medical history was