Difficult 6F Guiding Sheath Removal Using the Transradial Artery Approach: A Case Report.

Objective: Recently, the use of the radial artery approach for neuroendovascular treatment has become more frequent. The main advantage of this approach is that there is a low complication risk. However, in the aforementioned case, the 6F guiding sheath proved difficult to remove from the radial artery.

Case presentation: A 60-year-old female patient presented with an unruptured basilar tip aneurysm, which we treated with coil embolization under general anesthesia. We performed paracentesis on the right radial artery and inserted a 6F Axcelguide. The radial artery is bifurcated at the brachial region. We guided the Axcelguide to the right subclavian artery and filled the aneurysm with a coil. After embolization, we attempted to remove the Axcelguide. However, we encountered extreme resistance, and removal proved difficult. We injected verapamil, isosorbide nitrate, nitroglycerin, and papaverine hydrochloride intra-arterially and subcutaneously into the forearm and then performed a brachial plexus block. Unfortunately, the situation remained unchanged. We attempted to slowly remove the catheter with the vascular mass remaining adhered to it. We transected the radial artery in the middle. We could not achieve hemostasis through manual compression and thus injected n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate intra-arterially. Postoperatively, the patient experienced mild subcutaneous hematoma and pain.

Conclusion: We consider reporting this case valuable because no previous studies have described similar difficulties in removing a 6F guiding sheath from the radial artery.